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AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY.

PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY

EDINBURGH AND LONDON

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AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY:

OR,

TAGE ISA TINOTERAIL, | IE STOWE YO

OF THE

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BY
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ALEXANDER WILSON

AND

PRINCE CHARLES LUCIEN BONAPARTE.

Che Illustrative Motes ano Life of ILilson

BY SIR WILLIAM JARDINE, Barr, F.R.S.E., F.LS.

IN THREE VOLUMES.—VOL. II.

GuSSh Lil ab Tl ieee ws GAL et Ne

LONDON, PARIS & NEW VORK.

CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

The names printed in italics are species not contained in the original, which have
been introduced into the notes.

Ammodramus, Henslow’s
Avoset, American
Avoset, Long-legged ,
Bittern, American
Bittern, Least

Bunting, Bay-winged .
Bunting, Towhe, Female
Bunting, White-crowned
Buzzard, American
Crane, Blue

Crane, Canadian

Crane, Sandhill

Crane, Whooping
Chuck-will’s-widow
Crossbill, American
Crossbill, Parrot-billed
Crossbill, White-winged
Crow . : :
Crow, Fish 3 ;
Cuckoo, Yellow-billed
Cuckoo, Black-billed .
Curlew, Common
Curlew, Esquimaux
Curlew, Long-billed
Death-bird .

Dove, Ground

Dove, Turtle ,
Duck, Black or Surf .
Duck, Buffel-headed .
Duck, Golden-eye
Duck, Pintail

Duck, Shoveller
Duck, Tufted

Eagle, Bald

| Eagle, Ring-tailed

Eagle, Sea .
Eagle, Washington's.
Eagle, White-headed .
Egret, Blue
Falcon, Harlan’s ,
Falcon, Rough-legged .

| Falcon, Winter ,
| Finch, Purple

Finch, Savannah

Finch, Seaside

Finch, Sharp-tailed
Flamingo, Red

| Flycatcher, Small-headed

Flycatcher, Warbling ,
Garrot, Rocky Mountain

Godwit, Great Marbled
Godwit, Tell-tale
Goosander

Goosander, Female
Goose, Canada

Goose, Snow

Grouse, Ruffed

Grouse, Sabine’s .

Hawk, American Sparrow .

Hawk, Ash-coloured
Hawk, Black

Hawk, Black-cap
Hawk, Broad-winged .
Hawk, Fish

Hawk, Gos

Hawk, Marsh

Hawk, Mexican .
Hawk, Night

Hawk, Red-shouldered
Hawk, Red-tailed
Hawk, Sharp-shinned
Hawk, Slate-coloured
Hawk, Swallow-tailed
Heron, Exile

Heron, Great

Heron, Great White
Heron, Green

Heron, Little

Heron, Louisiana
Heron, Night

Heron, Peale’s

Heron, Scapulary
Heron, Snowy :
Heron, Yellow-crowned
Ibis, Glossy

Ibis, Scarlet

Ibis, White

Ibis, Wood

PAGE
54
185
35
34
76
77
153
141
295
225
225
225
104
267
58
259
273
66
281
281
180,
63
47
67
267
261

430
429
224
387
386
187
195
185
337
367
370

Plover, Ring

Plover, Ringed

Plover, Ruddy

Plover, Sanderling
Purre .

Quail .

Rail

Rail, Clapper

Rail, Land .

Rail, Virginian

Redpoll, Lesser .
Redstart ;
Sandpiper, Ash-coloured
Sandpiper, Bartram’s .
Sandpiper, Douglas's
Sandpiper, Little
Sandpiper, Pectoral
Sandpiper, Red-backed
Sandpiper, Red-breasted
Sandpiper, Schinzs

Sandpiper, Semipalmated .

Sandpiper, Solitary
Sandpiper, Spotted
Shoveller :
Shoveller, Pink-eared .
Sheerwater .
Skimmer, Black .
Snipe .

Snipe, Douglas’s .
Snipe, Drummond's
Snipe, Red-breasted
Snipe, Sabine’s ;
Snipe, Semipalmated .

CONTENTS.

PAGE

360
122
425
364
335
224
232
410
233
406

Snipe, Yellow Shanks
Spoonbill, Roseate
Starling, European
Starling, One-coloured .
Starling, Red-winged .
Swallow, Bank
Swallow, Barn
Swallow, Chimney
Swallow, Green-blue .
Swallow, White-bellied
Swallow, Window
Teal, Blue-winged
Tern, Great

Tern, Lesser

Tern, Short-tailed
Thrush, Hermit .
Thrusy, Tawny .
Turnstone .

Warbler, Black-poll

Warbler, Black-poll, Female

Warbler, Blue Mountain
Warbler, Blue Yellow-back
Warbler, Cape May
Warbler, Connecticut .
Warbler, Hemlock
Warbler, Pine Swamp

Warbler, Yellow Red-poll .

Warbler, Yellow-rump
Whip-poor-will .
Woodcock .

W oodpeckers : :
Woodpecker, Ivory-billed
Woodpecker, Pileated

WILSON’S
AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY.

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. (Cuculus Carolinensis.)

PLATE XXVIII.—Fie. 1.

Cuculus Americanus, Linn. Syst. 170.—Catesb. i. 9.—Lath. i. 537.—Le Covcou
de la Caroline, Briss. iv. 112.—Arct. Zool. 265, No. 155.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 1778.

COCCYZUS AMERICAN US.—BonaPARtTE.*

Coccyzus Americanus, Bonap. Synop. p. 42.—The Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Awd. pl. 2.
Orn. Biog. i. p. 18.

A sTRANGER who visits the United States, for the purpose of
examining their natural productions, and passes through our
woods in the month of May or June, will sometimes hear, as

* Bonaparte has preferred restoring the specific name of Linneeus to
that given by Catesby and Brisson, and by this it should stand in our
systems,

This form will represent in America the true cuckoos, which other-
wise range over the world ; it was first separated by Vaillant under the
French name Conec, and the same division was adopted by Vieillot,
under the name of Coccyzus, which is now retained, They differ from
the cuckoos chiefly in habit,—building a regular nest, and rearing their
young. North America possesses only two species, our present and the
following, which are both migratory. Some beautiful species are met
with in different parts of the southern continent.

Mr Audubon has added little to their history farther than confirming

the accounts of Wilson. In their migrations northward, they move
VOL. II, A

2 VELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.

he traverses the borders of deep, retired, high timbered hol-
lows, an uncouth, guttural sound, or note, resembling the
syllables, kowe, kowe, kowe kowe kowe, beginning slowly, but
ending so rapidly, that the notes seem to run into each other ;
and vice versa: he will hear this frequently, without being
able to discover the bird or animal from which it proceeds,
as it is both shy and solitary, seeking always the thickest
foliage for concealment. ‘This is the yellow-billed cuckoo,
the subject of the present account. From the imitative
sound of its note, it is known in many parts by the name of
the cow-bird ; it is also called in Virginia the rain crow,
being observed to be most clamorous immediately before rain.

This species arrives in Pennsylvania, from the south,
about the 22nd of April, and spreads over the country, as
far at least as Lake Ontario ; is numerous in the Chickasaw
and Chactaw nations ; and also breeds in the upper parts of

singly ; but when removing again to a warmer latitude, they appear to
be gregarious, flying high in the air, and in loose flocks.

They appear to delight more in deep woody solitudes than the true
cuckoos, or those which approach nearest to the form of the European
species. They, again, though often found near woods, and in richly
clothed countries, are fond of open and extensive heaths or commons,
studded or fringed with brush and forest: here they may expect an.
abundant supply of the foster parent to their young. The gliding and
turning motion when flying in a thicket, however, is similar to that of
the American Coccyzus. Like them, also, they are seldom on the ground ;
but, when obliged to be near it, alight on some hillock or twig, where
they will continue for a considerable time, swinging round their body in
a rather ludicrous manner, with lowered wings and expanded tail, and
uttering a rather low, monotonous sound, resembling the owe of our
American bird,—

Turning round and round with cutty-coo.

When suddenly surprised or disturbed from their roost at night, they
utter a short, tremulous whistle, three or four times repeated ; it is only
on their first arrival, during the early part of incubation, when in search
of a mate, that their well known and welcome note is heard; by the
first of July all is silent. The idea that the common cuckoo destroys
egos and young birds, like the American Coccyzus, is also entertained ;
I have never seen them do so, but the fact is affirmed by most country
persons, and many gamekeepers destroy them on this account.—Eb.

VELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 3

Georgia : preferring, in all these places, the borders of solitary
swamps and apple orchards. It leaves us, on its return south-
ward, about the middle of September.

The singular—I will not say unnatural—conduct of the
European cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), which never constructs
a nest for itself, but drops its eggs in those of other birds,
and abandons them to their mercy and management, is so
universally known, and so proverbial, that the whole tribe of
cuckoos have, by some inconsiderate people, been stigmatised
as destitute of all parental care and affection. Without
attempting to account for this remarkable habit of the Euro-
pean species, far less to consider as an error what the wisdom
of Heaven has imposed as a duty on the species, I will only
remark, that the bird now before us builds its own nest,
hatches its own eggs, and rears its own young ; and, in con-
jugal and parental affection, seems nowise behind any of its
neighbours of the grove.

Early in May, they begin to pair, when obstinate battles
take place among the males. About the tenth of that month,
they commence building. The nest is usually fixed among
the horizontal branches of an apple tree; sometimes in a
solitary thorn, crab, or cedar, in some retired part of the
woods. It is constructed, with little art, and scarcely any
concavity, of small sticks and twigs, intermixed with green
weeds, and blossoms of the common maple. On this almost
flat bed, the eggs, usually three or four in number, are placed ;
these are of a uniform greenish blue colour, and of a size
proportionable to that of the bird. While the female is sitting,
the male is generally not far distant, and gives the alarm, by
his notes, when any person is approaching. ‘The female sits
so close, that you may almost reach her with your hand, and
then precipitates herself to the ground, feigning lameness, to
draw you away from the spot, fluttering, trailing her wings,
and tumbling over, in the manner of the partridge, wood-
cock, and many other species. Both parents unite in pro-
viding food for the young. This consists, for the most part,

4 VELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.

of caterpillars, particularly such as infest apple trees. The
same insects constitute the chief part of their own sustenance.
They are accused, and with some justice, of sucking the eggs
of other birds, like the crow, the biue jay, and other pillagers.
They also occasionally eat various kinds of berries. But, from
the circumstance of destroying such numbers of very noxious
larvee, they prove themselves the friends of the farmer, and
are highly deserving of his protection.

The yellow-billed cuckoo is thirteen inches long, and
sixteen inches in extent; the whole upper parts are of a
dark, glossy drab, or what is usually called a quaker colour,
with greenish silky reflections; from this must, however, be
excepted the inner vanes of the wings, which are bright
reddish cinnamon ; the tail is long, composed of ten feathers,
the two middle ones being of the same colour as the back,
the others, which gradually shorten to the exterior ones, are
black, largely tipt with white; the two outer ones are scarcely
half the length of the middle ones. The whole lower parts
are pure white; the feathers covering the thighs being large,
like those of the hawk tribe ; the legs and feet are light blue,
the toes placed two before and two behind, as in the rest of
the genus. The bill is long, a little bent, very broad at the
base, dusky black above, and yellow below; the eye hazel,
feathered close to the eyelid, which is yellow. The female
differs little from the male; the four middle tail-feathers in
her are of the same uniform drab; and the white, with which
the others are tipt, not so pure as in the male.

In examining this bird by dissection, the inner membrane
of the gizzard, which in many other species is so hard and
muscular, in this is extremely Jax and soft, capable of great
distension ; and, what is remarkable, is covered with a growth
of fine down, or hair, of a light fawn colour. It is difficult to
ascertain the particular purpose which Nature intends by this
excrescence ; perhaps it may serve to shield the tender parts
from the irritating effects produced by the hairs of certain
caterpillars, some of which are said to be almost equal to the
sting of a nettle.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 5

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. (Cuculus erythropthalma.)
PLATE XXVIII.—Fic. 2.

Peale’s Museum, No. 1854.
COCCYZUS ERYTHROPTHALMUS.—BONAPARTE.*

Coceyzus erythropthalmus, Bonap. Synop. p. 42.—The Black-billed Cuckoo,
Aud. pl. 32, male and female; Orn. Biog. i. p. 170.

Tis cuckoo is nearly as numerous as the former, but has
hitherto escaped the notice of Huropean naturalists ; or, from
its general resemblance, has been confounded with the pre-
ceding. Its particular markings, however, and some of its
habits, sufficiently characterise it as a distinct species. Its
general colour above is nearly that of the former, inclining
more to a pale ash on the cheeks and front; it is about an
inch less in length ; the tail is of a uniform dark silky drab,
except at the tip, where each feather is marked with a spot
of white, bordered above with a slight touch of dull black ;
the bill is wholly black, and much smaller than that of the
preceding ; and it wants the bright cinnamon on the wings.
But what constitutes its most distinguishing trait is, a bare
wrinkled skin, of a deep red colour, that surrounds the eye.
The female differs little in external appearance from the
male.

The black-billed cuckoo is particularly fond of the sides of
creeks, feeding on small shell fish, snails, &c. I have also
often found broken pieces of oyster shells in its gizzard, which,
like that of the other, is covered with fine downy hair.

The nest of this bird is most commonly built in a cedar,
much in the same manner, and of nearly the same materials, as

* Wilson, I believe, deserves the credit of distinguishing this species.
It is closely allied to, but differs widely, both in its habits and feeding,
from its congeners and the true cuckoos. In addition to shells and water
insects, Audubon mentions having found in their stomachs a small black
frog, which appears after a summer shower.— Ep.

6 BLUE YELLOW-BACK WARBLER.

that of the other; but the eggs are smaller, usually four or
five in number, and of a rather deeper greenish blue.

This bird is likewise found in the state of Georgia, and has
not escaped the notice of Mr Abbot, who is satisfied of its
being a distinct species from the preceding.

BLUE YELLOW-BACK WARBLER. (Sylvia pusilla.)

PLATE XXVIII.—Fie. 3.

Parus Americanus, Zinn. Syst. 341.—Finch Creeper, Catesb. i. 64.—Lath. ii.
558.—Creeping Titmouse, Arct. Zool. 423, No. 326.—Parus varius, Various
coloured little Finch Creeper, Bart. p. 292.—Peale’s Museum, No. 6910.

SYLVICOLA AMERICAN A.—SWAINSON.*

Sylvia Americana, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 520.—Bonap. Synop. p. 83.—Sylvicola
pusilla, Sw. Synop. Birds of Mex. Ann. of Phil. p. 433.—Zool. Journ. No.
10, p. 169.—The Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, Aud. pl. 15, male and
female ; Orn. Biog. i. p. 78.

NotTwiTHstaNnpDIneG the respectability of the above authorities,
I must continue to consider this bird as a species of warbler.
Its habits, indeed, partake something of the titmouse ; but
the form of its bill is decidedly that of the Sylvia genus. It
is remarkable for frequenting the tops of the tallest trees,
where it feeds on the small winged insects, and caterpillars
that infest the young leaves and blossoms. It has a few
feeble chirruping notes, scarcely loud enough to be heard at
the foot of the tree. It visits Pennsylvania from the south,
early in May; is very abundant in the woods of Kentucky :
and is also found in the northern parts of the state of New
York. Its nest I have never yet met with.

* There is nothing more annoying than the unravelling of names,
That of Americana, without doubt, seems to have been the specific
appellation first applied ; and if we are to adhere to any given rule in
nomenclature, that should be now adopted. The present species has
also been made typical of the group which is confined to the New
World.—Eb.

+ According to Audubon, the nest is small, formed of lichens, beauti-
fully arranged on the outside, and lined with the cotton substances found

YELLOW RED-POLL WARBLER. | 7

This little species is four inches and a half long, and six
inches and a half in breadth; the front, and between the bill
and eyes, is black ; the upper part of the head and neck, a fine
Prussian blue; upper part of the back, brownish yellow ;
Jower, and rump, pale blue ; wings and tail, black ; the former
crossed with two bars of white, and edged with blue ; the latter
marked on the inner webs of the three exterior feathers with
white, a circumstance common to a great number of the
genus ; immediately above and below the eye, is a small touch
of white: the upper mandible is black; the lower, as well
as the whole throat and breast, rich yellow, deepening about
its middle to orange red, and marked on the throat with a
small crescent of black; on the edge of the breast is a slight
touch of rufous; belly and vent, white; legs, dark brown ;
feet, dirty yellow. 'The female wants both the black and
orange on the throat and breast ; the blue, on the upper parts,
is also of a duller tint.

YELLOW RED-POLL WARBLER. (Sylvia petechia.)
PLATE XXVIIL.—Fie. 4.

Red-headed Warbler, Turton, i. 605.—Peale’s Museum, No. 7124.
SYLVICOLA PETECHIA.—SWAINSON.
Lath. Ind. ‘Orn. ii. p. 535.—Sylvia petechia, Bonap. Synop. p. 83.—Red-headed
Warbler, Penn. Arct. Zool. ii, p. 401,—Sylvicola petechia, Worth. Zool. ii.
p. 215.
Turs delicate little bird arrives in Pennsylvania early in
April, while the maples are yet in blossom, among the
branches of which it may generally be found at that season,
feeding on the stamina of the flowers, and on small winged
insects. Low swampy thickets are its favourite places of
resort. It is not numerous, and its notes are undeserving the

on the edges of different mosses; it is placed in the fork of a small twig,
near the extremity of the branch. The eggs are pure white, with a few
reddish dots at the longer end. Mr Audubon thinks two broods are
raised in the year.— Ed,

8 LVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.

name of song. It remains with us all summer; but its nest
has hitherto escaped me. It leaves us late in September.
Some of them probably winter in Georgia, having myself shot
several late in February, on the borders of the Savannah
river,

Length of the yellow red-poll, five inches; extent, eight ;
line over the eye, and whole lower parts, rich yellow; breast,
streaked with dull red; upper part of the head, reddish chest-
nut, which it loses in winter; back, yellow olive, streaked
with dusky ; rump, and tail-coverts, greenish yellow ; wings,
deep blackish brown, exteriorly edged with olive ; tail, slightly
forked, and of the same colour as the wings.

The female wants the red cap; and the yellow of the lower
parts is less brilliant; the streaks of red on the breast are
also fewer and less distinct.

IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. (Picus principalis.)
PLATE XXIX.—Fic. 1.

Picus principalis, Zinn. Syst. i. p. 173. 2.—Gmel. Syst. i. p. 425.—Picus Niger
Carolinensis, Briss. iv. p. 26.9; Id. 8vo. ii. p. 49.—Pic noir a bec blane, Buff.
vii. p. 46. PZ. enl. 690.—King of the Woodpeckers, Kalm, ii. p. 85.—White-
billed Woodpecker, Catesb. Car. i. 6.16.—Arct. Zool. ii. No. 156.—Lath. Syn.
li. p. 553.—Bartram, p. 289.—Peale’s Museum, No. 1884.
PICUS PRINCIPALIS.—LINN&zvs.*

Picus principalis, Bonap. Synop. p. 44.— Wagl. Syst. Av. Picus, No. 1.—The Ivory-
billed Woodpecker, Aud. pl. 66, male and female ; Orn. Biog. i. p. 341.

T'n1s majestic and formidable species, in strength and mag-
nitude, stands at the head of the whole class of woodpeckers,
hitherto discovered. He may be called the king or chief of

* The genus Picus, or woodpeckers, with the exception of the parrots,
forms the most extensive group among the Scansores, and perhaps one
of the most natural among the numerous divisions now assigned to the
feathered race. Ina former note we mentioned the difference of form,
and corresponding modification of habit, that nevertheless existed among
them. Most ornithologisis have divided them into three groups only,
taking the common form of woodpeckers for the type, making another

Head gr apt Die
te Pileated Woodpek™™ for.
Head of he"

trom, Nature by A. Wilson Engraved by WH Liars.

Livory-bitled Woodpecker’ 2 Pileated W 3, Red-headed W

LIVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. fe)

his tribe; and Nature seems to have designed him a distin-
guished characteristic in the superb carmine crest and bill ot
polished ivory with which she has ornamented him. His eye

of the golden-winged, and including in a third the very minute species
which form Temminck’s genus Picwmnus, but which, I believe, will be
found to rank in a family somewhat different. Mr Swainson, again, in
following out the views which he holds regarding the affinities of living
beings, has formed five groups,—taking our present form as typical, under
the title Picus ; that of the green woodpecker, under Chrysoptilus ; that
of the red-headed woodpecker, as Melanerpes; the golden-wings, as
Colaptes ; and Malacolophus as the soft-crested Brazilian and Indian
species. Of these forms, the northern parts of America will contain
only three: two we have had occasion already to remark upon’; and the
third forms the subject of our author’s present description—the most
powerful of the whole tribe, and showing all the forms and peculiarities
of the true woodpecker developed to the utmost.

The Pict are very numerous, and are distributed over the whole world,
New Holland excepted ; America, however, including both continents,
may be termed the land of woodpeckers. Her vast and solitary forests
afford abundance to satisfy their various wants, and furnish a secluded
retirement from the inroads of cultivation. Next in number, I believe,
India and her islands are best stored ; then Africa, and lastly, Europe.
The numbers, however, are always greatest between the tropics, and
generally diminish as we recede from and approach temperate or cold
regions. They are mostly insectivorous ; a few species only feed occa-
sionally on different fruits and berries. The various Coleoptera, that
form their abodes in dead and decaying timber, and beneath their bark
and moss, with their eggs and large larvee, form an essential part of their
subsistence: for securing this prey, digging it out from their burrows in
the wood, and the peculiar mode of life incident to such pursuits, they
are most admirably adapted. The bill is strong and wedge-shaped ;
the neck possesses great muscularity. The tongue—fitted by the curious
construction of its muscles and the os hyoides, and lubricated with a
viscous saliva, either gently to secure and draw in the weaker prey, or
with great force and rapidity to dart out, and, it is said, to transfix the
larger and more nimble insects—joined to the short legs and hooked
scansorial claws, with the stiff, bent tail, are all provisions beautifully
arranged for their wants.

All the species are solitary, live in pairs only during the season of in-
cubation, or are met with in small flocks, the amount of the years’ brood,
in the end of autumn, before they have separated. This solitary habit,
and their haunts being generally gloomy and retired, has given rise to
the opinion entertained by many, that the life of the woodpecker was

10 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.

is brilliant and daring; and hiswhole framesoadmirably adapted
for his mode of life, and method of procuring subsistence, as
to impress on the mind of the examiner the most reverential

hard and laborious, dragged on in the same unvaried tract for one pur-
pose,—the supply of food. It has been painted in vivid and imaginary
colouring, and. its existence has been described to be painful and bur-
densome in the extreme ; its cries have been converted into complaints,
and its search for food into exertions of no use. We cannot agree to
this. The cry of the woodpecker is wild, and no doubt the incessant
hewing of holes without an adequate object would be sufficiently miser-
able. These, however, are the pleasures of the bird. The knowledge
to search after food is implanted in it, and organs most admirably formed
to prevent exhaustion, and ensure success, have been granted to it. Its
cries, though melancholy to us, are so from association with the dark
forests, and the stillness which surrounds their haunts, but perhaps, at
the time when we judge, are expressive of the greatest enjoyment. An
answer of kindness in reply to a mate, the calling together of the newly
fledged brood, or exultation over the discovery of some favourite hoard
of food, are what are set down as painful and discontented.

Mr Audubon’s remarks on this splendid species, “'The king of the
woodpeckers,” I have transcribed at some length, as indicating the parti-
cular manner of the typical family of this great group.

“The ivory-billed woodpecker confines its rambles to a comparatively
very small portion of the United States, it never having been observed
in the middle states within the memory of any person now living there.
In fact, in no portion of these districts does the nature of the woods ap-
pear suitable to its remarkable habits.

“ Descending the Ohio, we meet with this splendid bird for the first
time near the confluence of that beautiful river and the Mississippi; after
which, following the windings of the latter, either downwards toward
the sea, or upwards in the direction of the Missouri, we frequently ob-
serve it. On the Atlantic coast, North Carolina may be taken as the
limit of its distribution, although now and then an individual of the
species may be accidentally seen in Maryland. To the westward of the
Mississippi, it is found in all the dense forests bordering the streams which
empty their waters into that majestic river, from the very declivities of
the Rocky Mountains. The lower parts of the Carolinas, Georgia, Ala-
bama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, are, however, the most favourite resorts
of this bird, and in those states it constantly resides, breeds, ana passes
a life of peaceful enjoyment, finding a profusion of food in all the deep,
dark, and gloomy swamps dispersed throughout them.

“The flight of this bird is graceful in the extreme, although seldom
prolonged to more than a few hundred yards at a time, unless when it

IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. II

ideas of the Creator. His manners have also a dignity in
them superior to the common herd of woodpeckers. ‘Trees,
shrubbery, orchards, rails, fence posts, and old prostrate logs,
are alike interesting to those, in their humble and indefatigable
search for prey ; but the royal hunter now before us, scorns
the humility of such situations, and seeks the most towering
trees of the forest; seeming particularly attached to those
prodigious cypress swamps, whose crowded giant sons stretch
their bare and blasted or moss-hung arms midway to the skies.
In these almost inaccessible recesses, amid ruinous piles of
impending timber, his trumpet-like note and loud strokes
resound through the solitary, savage wilds, of which he seems
the sole lord and inhabitant. Wherever he frequents, he
leaves numerous monuments of his industry behind him.
We there see enormous pine trees with cartloads of bark
lying around their roots, and chips of the trunk itself, in such
quantities as to suggest the idea that half a dozen of axe-men

has to cross a large river, which it does in deep undulations, opening its
wings at first to their full extent, and nearly closing them to renew the
propelling impulse. The transit from one tree to another, even should
the distance be as much as a hundred yards, is performed by a single
sweep, and the bird appears as if merely swinging itself from the top of
the one tree to that of the other, forming an elegantly curved line. At
this moment all the beauty of the plumage is exhibited, and strikes the
beholder with pleasure. It never utters any sound whilst on wing, unless
during the love season ; but at all other times, no sooner has this bird
alighted than its remarkable voice is heard, at almost every leap which
it makes, whilst ascending against the upper parts of the trunk of a tree,
or its highest branches. Its notes are clear, loud, and yet very plaintive.
They are heard at a considerable distance, perhaps half a mile, and re-
semble the false high note of a clarionet. They are usually repeated
three times in succession, and may be represented by the monosyllable
pat, part, part, These are heard so frequently as to induce me to say
that the bird spends few minutes of the day without uttering them,
and this circumstance leads to its destruction, which is aimed at, not
because (as is supposed by some) this species is a destroyer of trees, but
more because it is a beautiful bird, and its rich scalp attached to the
upper mandible forms an ornament for the war-dress of most of our
Indians, or for the shot-pouch of our squatters and hunters, by all of
whom the bird is shot merely for that purpose.”— Ep,

I2 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.

had been at work there for the whole morning. The body of
the tree is also disfigured with such numerous and so large
excavations, that one can hardly conceive it possible for the
whole to be the work of a woodpecker. With such strength,
and an apparatus so powerful, what havoc might he not
commit, if numerous, on the most useful of our forest trees !
and yet with all these appearances, and much of vulgar pre-
judice against him, it may fairly be questioned whether he is
at all injurious; or, at least, whether his exertions do not
contribute most powerfully to the protection of our timber.
Examine closely the tree where he has been at work, and you
will soon perceive, that it is neither from motives of mischief
nor amusement that he slices off the bark, or digs his way
into the trunk—For the sound and healthy tree is the least
object of his attention. The diseased, infested with insects,
and hastening to putrefaction, are his favourites; there the
deadly crawling enemy have formed a lodgement between the
bark and tender wood, to drink up the very vital part of the
tree. It is the ravages of these vermin, which the intelligent
proprietor of the forest deplores as the sole perpetrators of the
destruction of his timber. Would it be believed that the
Jarvee of an insect, or fly, no larger than a grain of rice, should
silently, and in one season, destroy some thousand acres of pine
trees, many of them from two to three feet in diameter, and
a hundred and fifty feet high! Yet whoever passes along the
high road from Georgetown to Charlestown, in South Carolina,
about twenty miles from the former place, can have striking
and melancholy proofs of this fact. In some places the whole
woods, as far as you can see around you, are dead, stripped of
the bark, their wintry-looking arms and bare trunks bleaching
in the sun, and tumbling in ruins before every blast, presenting
a frightful picture of desolation. And yet ignorance and pre-
judice stubbornly persist in directing their indignation against
the bird now before us, the constant and mortal enemy of these
very vermin; as if the hand that probed the wound to extract
its cause, should be equally detested with that which inflicted

IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 13

it; or as if the thief-catcher should be confounded with the
thief. Until some effectual preventive or more complete mode
of destruction can be devised against these insects, and their
larvee, I would humbly suggest the propriety of protecting,
and receiving with proper feelings of gratitude, the services
of this and the whole tribe of woodpeckers, letting the odium
of guilt fall upon its proper owners.

In looking over the accounts given of the ivory-billed wood-
pecker by the naturalists of Europe, I find it asserted, that it
inhabits from New Jersey to Mexico. I believe, however,
that few of them are ever seen to the north of Virginia, and
very few of them even in that state. The first place I observed
this bird at, when on my way to the south, was about twelve
miles north of Wilmington in North Carolina. There I found
the bird from which the drawing of the figure in the plate was
taken. This bird was only wounded slightly in the wing, and,
on being caught, uttered a loudly reiterated, and most piteous
note, exactly resembling the violent crying of a young child;
which terrified my horse so, as nearly to have cost me my life.
It was distressing to hear it. I carried it with me in the chair,
under cover, to Wilmington. In passing through the streets,
its affecting cries surprised every one within hearing, par-
ticularly the females, who hurried to the doors and windows
with looks of alarm and anxiety. I drove on, and on arriving
at the piazza of the hotel, where I intended to put up, the
landlord came forward, and a number of other persons who
happened to be there, all equally alarmed at what they heard ;
this was greatly increased by my asking, whether he could
furnish me with accommodations for myself and my baby. The
man looked blank and foolish, while the others stared with
still greater astonishment. After diverting myself for a minute
or two at their expense, I drew my woodpecker from under
the cover, and a general laugh took place. I took him up
stairs and locked him up in my room, while I went to see my
horse taken care of. In less than an hour I returned, and, on
opening the door, he set up the same distressing shout, which

14 LVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.

now appeared to proceed from grief that he had been discovered
in his attempts at escape. He had mounted along the side of
the window, nearly as high as the ceiling, a little below which
he had begun to break through. The bed was covered with
large pieces of plaster; the lath was exposed for at least
fifteen inches square, and a hole, large enough to admit the
fist, opened to the weather-boards ; so that, in less than another
hour he would certainly have succeeded in making his way
through. JI now tied a string round his leg, and, fastening
it to the table, again left him. I wished to preserve his life,
and had gone off in search of suitable food for him. As I
reascended the stairs, I heard him again hard at work, and on
entering had the mortification to perceive that he had almost
entirely ruined the mahogany table to which he was fastened,
and on which he had wreaked his whole vengeance. While
engaged in taking the drawing, he cut me severely in several
places, and, on the whole, displayed such a noble and uncon-
querable spirit, that I was frequently tempted to restore him
to his native woods. He lived with me nearly three days, but
refused all sustenance, and I witnessed his death with regret.
The head and bill of this bird is in great esteem among the
southern Indians, who wear them by way of amulet or charm,
as well as ornament; and, it is said, dispose of them to the
northern tribes at considerable prices. An Indian believes
that the head, skin, or even feathers of certain birds, confer on
the wearer all the virtues or excellencies of those birds. Thus
I have seen a coat made of the skins, heads, and claws of the
raven ; caps stuck round with heads of butcher birds, hawks,
and eagles; and as the disposition and courage of the ivory-
billed woodpecker are well known to the savages, no wonder
they should attach great value to it, having both beauty, and,
in their estimation, distinguished merit to recommend it.
This bird is not migratory, but resident in the countries
where it inhabits. In the low countries of the Carolinas it
usually prefers the large timbered cypress swamps for breeding
in. In the trunk of one of these trees, at a considerable height,

IVORYV-BILLED WOODPECKER. 15

the male and female alternately, and in conjunction, dig out a
large and capacious cavity for their eggs and young. ‘Trees
thus dug out have frequently been cut down, with sometimes
the eggs and young in them. This hole, according to infor-
mation,—for I have never seen one myself,—is generally a
little winding, the better to keep out the weather, and from
two to five feet deep. The eggs are said to be generally four,
sometimes five, as large as a pullet’s, pure white, and equally
thick at both ends—a description that, except in size, very
nearly agrees with all the rest of our woodpeckers. The young
begin to be seen abroad about the middle of June. Whether
they breed more than once in the same season is uncertain.*

* The description of the nestling, &c., is thus also given by Audubon.
Wilson observes, that he had no opportunity of ever seeing their holes,
and the following will tend to render his account more complete :—

“The ivory-billed woodpecker nestles earlier in spring than any other
species of its tribe. I have observed it boring a hole for that purpose in
the beginning of March. The hole is, I believe, always made in the trunk
of a live tree, generally an ash or a hagberry, and is at a great height.
The birds pay great regard to the particular situation of the tree, and
the inclination of its trunk; first, because they prefer retirement, and
again, because they are anxious to secure the aperture against the access
of water during beating rains. To prevent such a calamity, the hole is
generally dug immediately under the junction of a large branch with the
trunk. It is first bored horizontally for a few inches, then directly down-
wards, and not in a spiral manner, as some people have imagined. Ac-
cording to circumstances, this cavity is more or less deep, being some-
times not more than ten inches, whilst at other times it reaches nearly
three feet downwards into the core of the tree. I have been led to think
that these differences result from the more or less immediate necessity
under which the female may be of depositing her eggs, and again have
thought that the older the woodpecker is, the deeper does it make its
hole. The average diameter of the different nests which I have exa-
mined was about seven inches within, although the entrance, which is
perfectly round, is only just large enough to admit the bird.

“Both birds work most assiduously at this excavation, one waiting
outside to encourage the other, whilst it is engaged in digging, and when
the latter is fatigued, taking its place. I have approached trees whilst
these woodpeckers were thus busily employed in forming their nest, and
by resting my head against the bark, could easily distinguish every blow
given by the bird. I observed that in two instances, when the wood-

16 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.

So little attention do the people of the countries where these
birds inhabit pay to the minutiz of natural history, that,
generally speaking, they make no distinction between the

peckers saw me thus at the foot of the tree in which they were digging
their nest, they abandoned it for ever. For the first brood there are
generally six eggs. They are deposited on a few chips at the bottom of
the hole, and are of a pure white colour. The young are seen creeping
out of the hole about a fortnight before they venture to fly to any other
tree. The second brood makes its appearance about the 15th of
August.

“In Kentucky and Indiana, the ivory-bills seldom raise more than
one brood in the season. The young are at first of the colour of the
female, only that they want the crest, which, however, grows rapidly,
and towards autumn—particularly in birds of the first breed—is nearly
equal to that of the mother. The males have then a slight line of red
on the head, and do not attain their richness of plumage until spring, or
their full size until the second year. Indeed, even then, a difference is
easily observed between them and individuals which are much older.

“The food of this species consists principally of beetles, larvee, and
large grubs. No sooner, however, are the grapes of our forests ripe than
they are eaten by the ivory-billed woodpecker with great avidity. I
have seen this bird hang by its claws to the vines, in the position so
often assumed by a titmouse, and reaching downwards, help itself to a
bunch of grapes with much apparent pleasure. Persimmons are also
sought for by them, as soon as the fruit becomes quite mellow, as are
hagberries.

“The ivory-bill is never seen attacking the corn, or the fruit of the
orchards, although it is sometimes observed working upon and chipping
off the bark from the belted trees of the newly cleared plantations. It
seldom comes near the ground, but prefers at all times the tops of the
tallest trees. Should it, however, discover the half-standing broken
shaft of a large dead and rotten tree, it attacks it in such a manner as
nearly to demolish it in the course of a few days. I have seen the re-
mains of some of these ancient monarchs of our forests so excavated, and
that so singularly, that the tottering fragments of the trunk appeared to
be merely supported by the great pile of chips by which its base was
surrounded. The strength of this woodpecker is such, that I have seen
it detach pieces of bark seven or eight inches in length at a single blow
of its powerful bill, and by beginning at the top branch of a dead tree,
tear off the bark, to an extent of twenty or thirty feet, in the course of
a few hours, leaping downwards, with its body in an upward position,
tossing its head to the right and left, or leaning it against the bark to
ascertain the precise spot where the grubs were concealed, and imme-

IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 17

ivory-billed and pileated woodpecker, represented in the same
plate; and it was not till I showed them the two birds to-
gether, that they knew of any difference. ‘The more intelligent
and observing part of the natives, however, distinguish them
by the name of the large and lesser logcocks. They seldom
examine them but at a distance, gunpowder being considered
too precious to be thrown away on woodpeckers ; nothing less
than a turkey being thought worth the value of a load.

The food of this bird consists, I believe, entirely of insects
and their larve.* The pileated woodpecker is suspected

diately after renewing its blows with fresh vigour, all the while sound-
ing its loud notes, as if highly delighted.

“This species generally moves in pairs, after the young have left their
parents, The female is always the most elamorous and the least shy.
Their mutual attachment is, I believe, continued through life. Except-
ing when digging a hole for the reception of their eggs, these birds
seldom, if ever, attack living trees, for any other purpose than that of
procuring food, in doing which they destroy the insects that would
otherwise prove injurious to the trees.

“T have frequently observed the male and female retire to rest for the
night, into the same hole in which they had long before reared their
young, This generally happens a short time after sunset.

“When wounded and brought to the ground, the ivory-bill immedi-
ately makes for the nearest tree, and ascends it with great rapidity and
perseverance until it reaches the top branches, when it squats and hides,
generally with great effect. Whilst ascending, it moves spirally round
the tree, utters its loud pait, pait, part, at almost every hop, but becomes
silent the moment it reaches a place where it conceives itself secure.
They sometimes cling to the bark with their claws so firmly as to remain
cramped to the spot for several hours after death. When taken by the
hand, which is rather a hazardous undertaking, they strike with great
violence, and inflict very severe wounds with their bill as well as claws,
which are extremely sharp and strong. On such oceasions, this bird
utters a mournful and very piteous cry.”—Ep.

* Mr Audubon says, that though the greater part of their food consists
of insects and their larve, no sooner are the grapes of our forests ripe,
than they are eaten with the greatest avidity. I have seen this bird
hang by its claws to the vines, in the position so often assumed by the
titmouse, and, reaching down, help itself to a bunch of grapes. Per-
simmons are also sought by them, as soon as the fruit becomes quite
mellow, and hagberries.—Ep.

VOL, II. B

18 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.

of sometimes tasting the Indian corn: the ivory-billed never.
His common note, repeated every three or four seconds, very
much resembles the tone of a trumpet, or the high note of a
clarionet, and can plainly be distinguished at the distance of
more than half a mile; seeming to be immediately at hand,
though perhaps more than one hundred yards off. This it
utters while mounting along the trunk or digging into it. At
these times it has a stately and novel appearance; and the
note instantly attracts the notice of a stranger. Along the
borders of the Savannah river, between Savannah and Augusta,
I found them very frequently ; but my horse no sooner heard
their trumpet-like note, than, remembering his former alarm,
he became almost ungovernable. .

The ivory-billed woodpecker is twenty inches long, and
thirty inches in extent; the general colour is black, with a
considerable gloss of green when exposed to a good light;
iris of the eye, vivid yellow ; nostrils, covered with recumbent
white hairs; fore part of the head, black; rest of the crest,
of a most splendid red, spotted at the bottom with white,
which is only seen when the crest is erected, as represented in
the plate; this long red plumage being ash-coloured at its
base, above that white, and ending in brilliant red; a stripe
of white proceeds from a point, about half an inch below each
eye, passes down each side of the neck, and along the back,
where they are about an inch apart, nearly to the ramp; the
first five primaries are wholly black; on the next five
the white spreads from the tip, higher and higher, to the
secondaries, which are wholly white from their coverts down-
ward. ‘These markings, when the wings are shut, make the
bird appear as if his back were white: hence he has been
called by some of our naturalists the large white-backed
woodpecker. ‘The neck is long; the beak an inch broad at
the base, of the colour and consistence of ivory, prodigiously
strong and elegantly fluted. The tail is black, tapering from
the two exterior feathers, which are three inches shorter than
the middle ones, and each feather has the singularity of being

PILEATED WOODPECKER,. 19

greatly concave below; the wing is lined with yellowish
white ; the legs are about an inch and a quarter long, the ex-
terior toe about the same length, the claws exactly semicircular
and remarkably powerful,—the whole of a light blue or lead
colour. ‘The female is about half an inch shorter, the bill
rather less, and the whole plumage of the head black, glossed
with green ; in the other parts of the plumage, she exactly
resembles the male. In the stomachs of three which I
opened, I found large quantities of a species of worm called
borers, two or three inches long, of a dirty cream colour, with
a black head ; the stomach was an oblong pouch, not muscular
like the gizzards of some others. The tongue was worm-
shaped, and for half an inch at the tip as hard as horn, flat,
pointed, of the same white colour as the bill, and thickly
barbed on each side.*

PILEATED WOODPECKER. (Picus pileatus.)
PLATE XXIX.—Fic. 2.

Picus niger, crista rubra, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 225, 4.—Picus pileatus, Linn.
Syst. i. p. 173, 3.—Gmel. Syst. i. p. 425.—Picus Virginianus pileatus, Briss.
iv. p. 29, 10.—Jd. 8vo, ii. p. 50.—Pic noir 4 huppé rouge, Buff. vii. p. 48.—
Pic noir huppé de la Louisiana, Pl. enl. 718.—Larger Crested Woodpecker,
Catesb. Car. i. 6, 17.—Pileated Woodpecker, Arct. Zool. ii. No. 157.—Lath.
Syn. ii. p. 554, 3.—Id. Supp. p. 105.—Bartram, p. 289.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 1886.

PICUS PILEATUS.—Umnevs.t

Picus pileatus, Bonap. Synop. p. 44.— Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 2.—Picus (dryotomus)
pileatus, North. Zool. ii. p. 304.

Tuis American species is the second in size among his tribe,
and may be styled the great northern chief of the woodpeckers,

* Wilson seems to have been in some uncertainty regarding the nidi-
fication of this species, and probably never saw the nest. The account
of Mr Audubon will fill up what is here wanting.—Eb.

+ As we remarked in our last note, Mr Swainson, according to the
views he entertains, has divided the large family Piciane into five great
divisions, and the different forms in these again into groups of lesser

20 PILEATED WOODPECKER.

though, in fact, his range extends over the whole of the United
States from the interior of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
He is very numerous in the Gennesee country, and in all the
tracts of high-timbered forests, particularly in the neighbour-
hood of our large rivers, where he is noted for making a loud
and almost incessant cackling before wet weather; flying at
such times in a restless uneasy manner from tree to tree,
making the woods echo to his outcry. In Pennsylvania and
the northern states, he is called the black woodcock ; in the
southern states, the logcock. Almost every old trunk in the
forest where he resides bears the marks of his chisel. Where-
ever he perceives a tree beginning to decay, he examines it
round and round with great skill and dexterity, strips off the
bark in sheets of five or six feet in length, to get at the hidden
cause of the disease, and labours with a gaiety and activity
really surprising. I have seen him separate the greatest part
of the bark from a large dead pine tree, for twenty or thirty
feet, in less than a quarter of an hour. Whether engaged in
flying from tree to tree, in digging, climbing, or barking, he
seems perpetually ina hurry. He is extremely hard to kill,
clinging close to the tree even after he has received his mortal
wound ; nor yielding up his hold but with his expiring breath.
If slightly wounded in the wing, and dropt while flying, he
instantly makes for the nearest tree, and strikes with great
bitterness at the hand stretched out to seize him; and can
rarely be reconciled to confinement. He is sometimes observed
among the hills of Indian corn, and it is said by some that he
frequently feeds on it. Complaints of this kind are, however,
not general; many farmers doubting the fact, and conceiving
that at these times he is in search of insects which lie concealed
in the husk. I will not be positive that they never occasionally
taste maize; yet I have opened and examined great numbers

value. For the type of one of them, he has chosen the Picus pileatus,
under the title of Dryotomus, differing from Picus, in the exterior outer
toe being shorter than the anterior external one, exactly the reverse of
the proportions of Picus.—Eb.

PILEATED WOODPECKER. 21

of these birds, killed in various parts of the United States,
from Lake Ontario to the Alatamaha river, but never found a
grain of Indian corn in their stomachs.

The pileated woodpecker is not migratory, but braves the
extremes of both the arctic and torrid regions. Neither is he
gregarious, for it is rare to see more than one or two, or at
the most three, in company. Formerly they were numerous
in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia; but gradually, as the
old timber fell, and the country became better cleared, they
retreated to the forest. At present few of those birds are to
be found within ten or fifteen miles of the city.

Their nest is built, or rather the eggs are deposited, in the
hole of a tree, dug out by themselves, no other materials being
used but the soft chips of rotten wood. The female lays six
large eggs of a snowy whiteness ; and, it is said, they generally
raise two broods in the same season.

This species is eighteen inches long, and twenty-eight in
extent; the general colour is a dusky brownish black; the
head is ornamented with a conical cap of bright scarlet ; two
scarlet mustaches proceed from the lower mandible; the chin
is white; the nostrils are covered with brownish white hair-
like feathers, and this stripe of white passes from thence down
the side of the neck to the sides, spreading under the wings ;
the upper half of the wings are white, but concealed by the
black coverts; the lower extremities of the wings are black,
so that the white on the wing is not seen but when the bird
is flying, at which time it is very prominent; the tail is taper-
ing, the feathers being very convex above, and strong; the
legs are of a leaden gray colour, very short, scarcely half an
inch; the toes very long; claws, strong and semicircular, and
of a pale blue; the bill is fluted, sharply ridged, very broad
at the base, bluish black above, below and at the point bluish
white; the eye is of a bright golden colour, the pupil black;
the tongue, like those of its tribe, is worm-shaped, except near
the tip, where for one-eighth of an inch it is horny, pointed,
and beset with barbs.

22 RED-WINGED STARLING.

The female has the forehead, and nearly to the crown, of a
light brown colour, and the mustaches are dusky, instead of
red. In both a fine line of white separates the red crest from
the dusky line that passes over the eye.

RED-WINGED STARLING. (Sturnus predatorius.)
PLATE XXX.—Fic. 1. MALE; Fic. 2. FEMALE.

Bartram, 291.—Oriolus pheeniceus, Linn. Syst. 161.—Red-winged Oriole, Arct.
Zool. 255, No. 140.—Le Troupiale 4 aisles rouges, Briss. ii. 97.—Le com-
mandeur, Buff. iii. 214, Pl. enl. 402.—Lath. i. 428.—Acolchichi, Fernand.
Nov. Hisp. p. 14.—Peale’s Museum, No. 1466, 1467.

AGLAIUS PH@NICEUS.—V1®£1L10r.*

Aglaius pheeniceus, Vietll. Gall. des Ois.—North. Zool. ii. p. 280.—Icterus
pheeniceus, Bonap. Synop. p. 52.— The Red-Winged Starling, or Marsh
Blackbird, Aud. pl. 67., male in different states, female and young; Orn.
Biog. i. p. 348.

Tis notorious and celebrated corn thief, the long reputed
plunderer and pest of our honest and laborious farmers, now

* This bird, I believe, will rank under the Jctes? of Brisson, but
seems first mentioned by Daudin under that title. Like the others of
this intricate family, it has been described under a multitude of names ;
but the above seems the preferable one to be adopted. Wilson also
changed the specific name to Predatorius, taken from its plundering
habits, whereas, without doubt, he should have retained its original
designation, North America possesses another beautiful species, figured
in the continuation of the Ornithology by Bonaparte.

Wilson is somewhat puzzled in what genus to place this bird, and is
only reconciled to join it with our common starling, which it much
resembles in its congregated flights. In this country, we cannot expect
to see a flight of such numbers as Wilson mentions ; still they are some-
times very numerous, and one might almost conceive the appearance of
the one, from their recollections of the other. In the low meadows of
Holland, again, some relative. proportion may be found. I have seen
an extent of flat surface, as far as the eye could reach around, covered
with flocks of starlings, associated with lapwings and golden plovers ;
and the flocks that rose on the approach of night, were sometimes
immense. In the islands of Sardinia, and those adjacent, and where
they may be augmented by the presence of another species, the S¢
unrcolor of Temminck, I am told that the assemblage of birds is

Engraved by WHLizare.

pn trom Nature by AWilson 5
LRed winged Starling, 2.Female. 3. Black-poll Warbler, +Lesser Red poll.

30.

RED-WINGED STARLING. 23

presents himself before us, with his copartner in iniquity, to
receive the character due for their very active and distinguished
services. In investigating the nature of these, I shall endeavour
to render strict historical justice to this noted pair; adhering
to the honest injunctions of the poet,

‘* Nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice.”

Let the reader divest himself equally of prejudice, and we shall
be at no loss to ascertain accurately their true character.

The red-winged starlings, though generally migratory in
the states north of Maryland, are found during winter in
immense flocks, sometimes associated with the purple grakles, -
and often by themselves, along the whole lower parts of Vir-
ginia, both Carolinas, Georgia, and Louisiana, particularly
near the sea coast, and in the vicinity of large rice and corn
fields. In the months of January and February, while passing
through the former of these countries, I was frequently enter-
tained with the aérial evolutions of these great bodies of
starlings. Sometimes they appeared driving about like an
enormous black cloud carried before the wind, varying its
shape every moment; sometimes suddenly rising from the
fields around me with a noise like thunder; while the glitter-
ing of innumerable wings of the brightest vermilion amid the
black cloud they formed, produced on these occasions a very
striking and splendid effect. Then, descending like a torrent,

innumerable in the lower valleys, and among the lakes and reedy
marshes which cover so much of the lower parts of these countries. In
their evolutions before retiring to rest among reeds or bushes, the two
birds also resemble each other, That of Europe is thus described by
an observing naturalist :—“ There is something singularly curious and
mysterious in the conduct of these birds, previous to their nightly retire-
ment, by the variety and intricacy of the evolutions they execute at
that time. They will form themselves, perhaps, into a triangle, then
shoot into a long, pear-shaped figure, expand like a sheet, wheel into a
ball, as Pliny observes, each individual striving to get into the centre,
&c., with a promptitude more like parade movements, than the actions
of birds.” | have known them watched for, when coming to roost, and
shot in considerable numbers. Their wings afford favourite feather for
fishers.— Eb.

24 RED-WINGED STARLING.

and covering the branches of some detached grove, or clump
of trees, the whole congregated multitude commenced one
general concert or chorus, that I have plainly distinguished at
the distance of more than two miles; and, when listened to at
the intermediate space of about a quarter of a mile, with a —
slight breeze of wind to swell and soften the flow of its
cadences, was to me grand, and even sublime. ‘The whole
season of winter, that, with most birds, is passed in struggling
to sustain life in silent melancholy, is, with the red-wings, one
continued carnival. The profuse gleanings of the old rice,
corn, and buckwheat fields, supply them with abundant food,
at once ready and nutritious; and the intermediate time is
spent either in aérial maneeuvres, or in grand vocal perform-
ances, as if solicitous to supply the absence of all the tuneful
summer tribes, and to cheer the dejected face of nature with
their whole combined powers of harmony.

About the 20th of March, or earlier, if the season be open,
they begin to enter Pennsylvania in numerous, though small
parties. These migrating flocks are usually observed from
daybreak to eight or nine in the morning, passing to the north,
chattering to each other as they fly along; and, in spite of all
our antipathy, their well known notes and appearance, after
the long and dreary solitude of winter, inspire cheerful and
pleasing ideas of returning spring, warmth, and verdure.
Selecting their old haunts, every meadow is soon enlivened
by their presence. ‘They continue in small parties to frequent
the low borders of creeks, swamps, and ponds, till about the
middle of April, when they separate in pairs to breed; and,
about the last week in April, or first in May, begin to construct
their nest. The place chosen for this is generally within the
precincts of a marsh or swamp, meadow, or other like watery
situation,—the spot, usually a thicket of alder bushes, at the
height of six or seven feet from the ground; sometimes in a
detached bush, in a meadow of high grass; often in a tussock
of rushes, or coarse rank grass; and not unfrequently on
the ground: in all of which situations I have repeatedly

RED-WINGED STARLING. 25

found them. When in a bush, they are generally com-
posed outwardly of wet rushes, picked from the swamp,
and long tough grass in large quantity, and well lined with
very fine bent. ‘The rushes, forming the exterior, are generally
extended to several of the adjoining twigs, round which they
are repeatedly and securely twisted ; a precaution absolutely
necessary for its preservation, on account of the flexible nature
of the bushes in which it is placed. ‘The same caution is
observed when a tussock is chosen, by fastening the tops
together, and intertwining the materials of which the nest is
formed with the stalks of rushes around. When placed on
the ground, less care and fewer materials being necessary, the
nest is much simpler and slighter than before.. The female
lays five eggs, of a very pale light blue, marked with faint
tinges of light purple, and long straggling lines and dashes
of black. It is not uncommon to find several nests in the
same thicket, within a few feet of each other.

During the time the female is sitting, and still more parti-
cularly after the young are hatched, the male, like most other
birds that build in low situations, exhibits the most violent
symptoms of apprehension and alarm on the approach of any
person to its near neighbourhood. Like the lapwing of
Kurope, he flies to meet the intruder, hovers at a short height
over-head, uttering loud notes of distress ; and, while in this
situation, displays to great advantage the rich glowing scarlet
of his wings, heightened by the jetty black of his general
plumage. As the danger increases, his cries become more
shrill and incessant, and his motions rapid and restless ; the
whole meadow is alarmed, and a collected crowd of his fellows
hover around, and mingle their notes of alarm and agitation
with his. When the young are taken away, or destroyed, he
continues for several days near the place, restless and dejected,
and generally recommences building soon after, in the same
meadow. ‘Towards the beginning or middle of August, the
young birds begin to fly in flocks, and at that age nearly
resemble the female, with the exception of some reddish or

26 RED-WINGED STARLING.

orange, that marks the shoulders of the males, and which
increases in space and brilliancy as winter approaches. It has
been frequently remarked, that, at this time, the young birds
chiefly associate by themselves, there being sometimes not
more than two or three old males observed in a flock of many
thousands. ‘These, from the superior blackness and rich red
of their plumage, are very conspicuous.

Before the beginning of September, these flocks have become
numerous and formidable ; and the young ears of maize, or
Indian corn, being then in their soft, succulent, milky state,
present a temptation that cannot be resisted. Reinforced
by numerous and daily flocks from all parts of the interior,
they pour down on the low countries in prodigious multitudes.
Here they are seen, like vast clouds, wheeling and driving
over the meadows and devoted corn-fields, darkening the air
with their numbers. Then commences the work of destruction
on the corn, the husks of which, though composed of numerous
envelopments of closely wrapt leaves, are soon completely
or partially torn off ; while from all quarters myriads continue
to pour down like a tempest, blackening half an acre at a
time ; and, if not disturbed, repeat their depredations, till
little remains but the cob and the shrivelled skins of the
grain ; what little is left of the tender ear, being exposed to
the rains and weather, is generally much injured. All the
attacks and havoc made at this time among them with the
gun, and by the hawks,—several species of which are their
constant attendants,—has little effect on the remainder.
When the hawks make a sweep among them, they suddenly
open on all sides, but rarely in time to disappoint them of their
victims ; and, though repeatedly fired at, with mortal effect,
they only remove from one field to an adjoining one, or to
another quarter of the same enclosure. From dawn to
nearly sunset, this open and daring devastation is carried on,
under the eye of the proprietor; and a farmer, who has any
considerable extent of corn, would require half-a-dozen men
at least, with guns, to guard it; and even then, all their

RED-WINGED STARLING. 27

vigilance and activity would not prevent a good tithe of it
from becoming the prey of the blackbirds. The Indians, who
usually plant their corn in one general field, keep the whole
young boys of the village all day patrolling round and among
it; and each being furnished with bow and arrows, with
which they are very expert, they generally contrive to destroy
great numbers of them.

It must, however, be observed, that this scene of pillage is
principally carried on in the low countries, not far from the
sea coast, or near the extensive flats that border our large
rivers ; and is also chiefly confined to the months of August
and September. After this period, the corn having acquired
its hard shelly coat, and the seeds of the reeds or wild oats,
with a profusion of other plants, that abound along the river
shores, being now ripe, and in great abundance, they present
a new and more extensive field for these marauding multitudes.
The reeds also supply them with convenient roosting places,
being often in almost unapproachable morasses; and thither
they repair every evening, from all quarters of the country.
In some places, however, when the reeds become dry, advan-
tage is taken of this circumstance to destroy these birds, by
a party secretly approaching the place, under cover of a dark
night, setting fire to the reeds in several places at once, which
being soon enveloped in one general flame, the uproar among
the blackbirds becomes universal; and, by the light of the
conflagration, they are shot down in vast numbers, while
hovering and screaming over the place. Sometimes straw is
used for the same purpose, being previously strewed near the
reeds and alder bushes, where they are known to roost, which
being instantly set on fire, the consternation and havoc is
prodigious ; and the party return by day to pick up the
slaughtered game. About the first of November, they begin
to move off towards the south ; though, near the sea-coast, in
the states of New Jersey and Delaware, they continue long
after that period.

Such are the general manners and character of the red-

28 RED-WINGED STARLING.

winged starling; but there remain some facts to be men-
tioned, no less authentic, and well deserving the consideration
of its enemies, more especially of those whose detestation of
this species would stop at nothing short of total extirpation.
It has been already stated, that they arrive in Pennsylvania
late in March. Their general food at this season, as well as
during the early part of summer (for the crows and purple
erakles are the principal pests in planting time), consists of
erub-worms, caterpillars, and various other larvee, the silent,
but deadly enemies of all vegetation, and whose secret and
insidious attacks are more to be dreaded by the husbandman
than the combined forces of the whole feathered tribes to-
gether. For these vermin, the starlings search with great
diligence ; in the ground, at the roots of plants, in orchards,
and meadows, as well as among buds, leaves, and blossoms ;
and, from their known voracity, the multitudes of these in-
sects which they destroy must be immense. Let me illustrate
this by a short computation: If we suppose each bird, on an
average, to devour fifty of these larvee in a day (a very mode-
rate allowance), a single pair, in four months, the usual time
such food is sought after, will consume upwards of twelve
thousand. It is believed, that not less than a million pair of
these birds are distributed over the whole extent of the
United States in summer; whose food, being nearly the same,
would swell the amount of vermin destroyed to twelve thou-
sand millions. But the number of young birds may be fairly
estimated at double that of their parents; and, as these are
constantly fed on larvee for at least three weeks, making only
the same allowance for them as for the old ones, their share
would amount to four thousand two hundred millions ;
making a grand total of sixteen thousand two hundred
millions of noxious insects destroyed in the space of four
months by this single species! The combined ravages of
such a hideous host of vermin would be sufficient to spread
famine and desolation over a wide extent of the richest and
best cultivated country on earth. All this, it may be said, is

RED-WINGED STARLING. 29

mere supposition. It is, however, supposition founded on
known and acknowledged facts. I have never dissected any of
these birds in spring without receiving the most striking and
satisfactory proofs of those facts; and though, in a matter
of this kind, it is impossible to ascertain precisely the amount
of the benefits derived by agriculture from this, and many
other species of our birds, yet, in the present case, I cannot
resist the belief, that the services of this species, in spring, are
far more important and beneficial than the value of all that
portion of corn which a careful and active farmer permits
himself to lose by it.

The great range of country frequented by this bird extends
from Mexico, on the south, to Labrador. Our late enterpris-
ing travellers across the continent to the Pacific Ocean,
observed if numerous in several of the valleys at a great
distance up the Missouri. When taken alive, or reared from
the nest, it soon becomes familiar, sings frequently, bristling
out its feathers, something in the manner of the cow bunting.
These notes, though not remarkably various, are very peculiar.
The most common one resembles the syllables conk-quer-rée ;
others, the shrill sounds produced by filing a saw: some are
more guttural; and others remarkably clear. The usual note
of both male and female is a single chuck. Instances have
been produced where they have been taught to articulate
several words distinctly ; and, contrary to what is observed
of many birds, the male loses little of the brilliancy of his
plumage by confinement.

A very remarkable trait of this bird is, the great difference
of size between the male and female; the former being nearly
two inches longer than the latter, and of proportionate magni-
tude. They are known by various names in the different
states of the Union; such as the swamp blackbird, marsh
blackbird, red-winged blackbird, corn or maize thief, starling,
&c. Many of them have been carried from this to different
parts of Europe; and Edwards relates, that one of them,
which had, no doubt, escaped from a cage, was shot in the

30 RED-WINGED STARLING.

neighbourhood of London ; and, on being opened, its stomach
was found to be filled with grub-worms, caterpillars, and
beetles ; which Buffon seems to wonder at, as, “in their own
country,’ he observes, “they feed exclusively on grain and
maize.”

Hitherto this species has been generally classed by naturalists
with the orioles. By a careful comparison, however, of its
bill with those of that tribe, the similarity is by no means
sufficient to justify this arrangement; and its manners are
altogether different. I can find no genus to which it makes
so near an approach, both in the structure of the bill and in
food, flight, and manners, as those of the stare ; with which,
following my judicious friend Mr Bartram, I have accordingly
placed it. To the European, the perusal of the foregoing
pages will be sufficient to satisfy him of their similarity of
manners. Tor the satisfaction of those who are unacquainted
with the common starling of Europe, I shall select a few
sketches of its character, from the latest and most accurate
publication I have seen from that quarter.* Speaking of the
stare, or starling, this writer observes, “In the winter season,
these birds fly in vast flocks, and may be known at a great
distance by their whirling mode of flight, which Buffon com-
pares to a sort of vortex, in which the collective body performs
an uniform circular revolution, and, at the same time, con-
tinues to make a progressive advance. The evening is the
time when the stares assemble in the greatest numbers, and
betake themselves to the fens and marshes, where they roost
among the reeds: they chatter much in the evening and
morning, both when they assemble and disperse. So attached
are they to society, that they not only join those of their own
species, but also birds of a different kind ; and are frequently
seen in company with red-wings (a species of thrush),
fieldfares, and even with crows, jackdaws, and pigeons. Their
principal food consists of worms, snails, and caterpillars ;
they likewise eat various kinds of grain, seeds, and berries,”

* Bewick’s “ British Birds,” part i. p. 119. Newcastle, 1809.

RED-WINGED STARLING. 31

He adds, that, “in a confined state, they are very docile, and
may easily be taught to repeat short phrases, or whistle tunes
with great exactness.”

The red-winged starling (fig. 1.) is nine inches long, and
fourteen inches in extent ; the general colour is a glossy black,
with the exception of the whole lesser wing-coverts, the first,
or lower row of which is of a reddish cream colour, the rest a
rich and splendid scarlet ; legs and bill, glossy brownish black ;
irides, hazel ; bill, cylindrical above, compressed at the sides,
straight, running considerably up the forehead, where it is
prominent, rounding and flattish towards the tip, though
sharp-pointed ; tongue, nearly as long as the bill, tapering and
lacerated at the end; tail, rounded, the two middle feathers
also somewhat shorter than those immediately adjoining.

The female (fig. 2.) is seven inches and a quarter in length,
and twelve inches in extent ; chin, a pale reddish cream ; from
the nostril over the eye, and from the lower mandible, run
two stripes of the same, speckled with black; from the
posterior angle of the eye backwards, a streak of brownish
black covers the auriculars ; throat, and whole lower parts,
thickly streaked with black and white, the latter inclining to
cream on the breast; whole plumage above, black, each
feather bordered with pale brown, white, or bay, giving the
bird a very mottled appearance ; lesser coverts, the same ;
bill and legs as in the male.

The young birds at first greatly resemble the female ; but
have the plumage more broadly skirted with brown. The
red early shows itself on the lesser wing-coverts of the males,
at first pale, inclining to orange, and partially disposed. The
brown continues to skirt the black plumage for a year or two,
so that it is rare to find an old male altogether destitute of
some remains of it; but the red is generally complete in
breadth and brilliancy by the succeeding spring. The females
are entirely destitute of that ornament.

The flesh of these birds is but little esteemed, being, in
general, black, dry, and tough. Strings of them are, however,
frequently seen exposed for sale in our markets.

32 BLACK-POLL WARBLER.

BLACK-POLL WARBLER. (Sylvia striata.)
PLATE XXX.—Fic. 3.

Lath. ti. 460.—Arct. Zool. 401.—Turton, 600.—Peale’s Museum, No. 7054.
SYLVICOLA STRIATA.*—SWAINSON.
Sylvia striata, Bonap. Synop. p. 81.—Sylvicola striata, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 218.

Tuts species has considerable affinity to the flycatchers in its
habits. It is chiefly confined to the woods, and even there,
to the tops of the tallest trees, where it is descried skipping
from branch to branch, in pursuit of winged insects. Its note
is a single screep, scarcely audible from below. It arrives in
Pennsylvania about the 20th of April, and is first seen on the
tops of the highest maples, darting about among the blossoms.
As the woods thicken with leaves, it may be found pretty
generally, being none of the least numerous of our summer
birds. It is, however, most partial to woods in the immediate
neighbourhood of creeks, swamps, or morasses, probably from
the greater number of its favourite imsects frequenting such
places. It is also pretty generally diffused over the United
States, having myself met with it in most quarters of the
Union; though its nest has hitherto defied all my researches.

This bird may be considered as occupying an intermediate
station between the flycatchers and the warblers, having the
manners of the former, and the bill, partially, of the latter.
The nice gradations by which nature passes from one species
to another, even in this department of the great chain of
beings, will for ever baffle all the artificial rules and systems
of man. And this truth every fresh discovery must impress
more forcibly on the mind of the observing naturalist. These
birds leave us early in September.

The black-poll warbler is five and a half inches long, and

* This is an aberrant Sylvicola, approaching Setophaga in the form
and bristling of the bill, and also in the manners of the flycatchers.—Ep.

LESSER REDPOLL. 33

eight and a half in extent; crown and hind head, black ;
cheeks, pure white; from each lower mandible runs a streak
of small black spots, those on the side, larger; the rest of
the lower parts, white; primaries, black, edged with yellow ;
rest of the wing, black, edged with ash ; the first and second
row of coverts, broadly tipt with white; back, ash, tinged
with yellow ochre, and streaked laterally with black ; tail,
black, edged with ash, the three exterior feathers marked
on the inner webs with white; bill, black above, whitish
below, furnished with bristles at the base; iris, hazel; legs
and feet, reddish yellow.
The female differs very little in plumage from the male.

LESSER REDPOLL. (fringilla linaria.)
PLATE XXX.—Fie. 4.
Lath. ii. 305.—Arct. Zool. 379.—Le Sizeren, Buff. iv. 216. Pl. ent. 151, 2.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 6579.

LINARIA MINOR.—WILLOUGHBY.
Fringilla linaria, Bonap. Synop. p. 112.

Tuts bird corresponds so exactly in size, figure, and colour of
plumage, with that of Europe of the same name, as to place
their identity beyond a doubt. They inhabit, during summer,
the most northern parts of Canada, and still more remote
northern countries, from whence they migrate at the com-
mencement of winter. ‘They appear in the Gennesee country
with the first deep snow, and on that account are usually
called by the title of snow birds. As the female is destitute
of the crimson on the breast and forehead, and the young
birds do not receive that ornament till the succeeding spring,
such a small proportion of the individuals that form these
flocks are marked with red, as to induce a general belief
among the inhabitants of those parts that they are two different
kinds associated together. TF locks of these birds have been

occasionally seen in severe winters in the neighbourhood of
VOL. II. c

34 LESSER REDPOLL.

Philadelphia. They seem particularly fond of the seeds of
the common alder, and hang, head downwards, while feeding,
in the manner of the yellow bird. They seem extremely
unsuspicious at such times, and will allow a very near approach
without betraying any symptoms of alarm.

The specimen represented in the plate was shot, with
several others of both sexes, in Seneca county, between the
Seneca and Cayuga lakes. Some individuals were occasionally
heard to chant a few interrupted notes, but no satisfactory
account can be given of their powers of song.

This species extends throughout the whole northern parts
of Europe, is likewise found in the remote wilds of Russia,
was seen by Steller in Kamtschatka, and probably inhabits
corresponding climates round the whole habitable parts of
the northern hemisphere. In the Highlands of Scotland they
are common, building often on the tops of the heath, sometimes
in a low furze bush, like the common linnet, and sometimes
on the ground. The nest is formed of light stalks of dried
grass, intermixed with tufts of wool, and warmly lined with
feathers. The eggs are usually four, white, sprinkled with
specks of reddish.*

* IT have not been able to procure American specimens of this bird,
but comparing the description of Wilson and of Ord, there seems little
doubt of their identity. Wilson is certainly confounding the mountain
linnet (Z. montium), when he says, “ In the Highlands of Scotland they
are common, building often on the tops of the heath, sometimes in a
low furze bush, like the common linnet, and sometimes on the ground.”
This is exactly the habit of the mountain linnet, and Mr Ord is wrong
in saying the young possess the crimson head ; I have many in my pos-
session without it, and have shot them at all seasons ; they receive that
mark at the commencement of the first breeding season, when the adult
birds also receive an addition of plumage and lustre. They seem very
fond of the beech, as well as of the birch and alder, and appear to find
insects in the husks of the old mast, which they are constantly picking
and looking into. I have found their nests also pretty frequently in a
young fir plantation: it was in a low situation, but they were invari-
ably lined with the wool of willow catkins. I shall here add Mr Selby’s
correct description of the manners of this species, which are in every
way confirmed by my own observations. “It is only known in the

LESSER REDPOLE. 35

[Mr Ord has added to the description of Wilson as follows :
—‘ Contrary to the usual practice of Mr Wilson, he omitted

southern parts of Britain as a winter visitant, and is at that period
gregarious, and frequently taken in company with the other species by
the bird-catchers, by whom it is called the stone redpoll. In the
northern counties of England, and in Scotland, and its isles, it is
resident through the year. It retires, during the summer, to the under-
wood that covers the basis of many of our mountains and hills, and that
often fringes the banks of their precipitous streams, in which sequestered
situations it breeds, The nest is built in a bush or low tree (such as
willow, alder, or hazel), of moss and the stalks of dry grass, intermixed
with down from the catkin of the willow, which also forms the lining,
and renders it a particularly soft and warm receptacle for the eggs and
young. From this substance being a constant material of the nest, it
follows, that the young are produced late in the season, and are seldom
able to fly before the end of June, or the beginning of July. The eggs
are four or five in number ; their colour, pale bluish green, spotted with
orange brown, principally towards the larger end. In winter, thelesser
redpoll descends to the lower grounds, in considerable flocks, frequenting
woods and plantations, more especially such as abound in birch or alder
trees, the catkins of which yield it a plentiful supply of food. When
feeding, its motion affords both interest and amusement ; since, in order
to reach the catkins, which generally grow near the extremities of the
smaller branches, it is obliged, like the titmouse, to hang with its back
downwards, and assume a variety of constrained attitudes, and, when
thus engaged, it is so intent upon its work, as frequently to allow itself to
be taken by a long stick smeared with bird-lime, in which way I have
occasionally captured it when in want of specimens for examination.
It also eats the buds of trees, and (when in flocks) proves in this way
seriously injurious to young plantations. Its call note is very frequently
repeated when on wing, and by this it may be always distinguished
from the other species. The notes it produces during the pairing
season, although few, and not delivered in continuous song, are sweet
and pleasing.”

“This bird is widely diffused through all the northern parts of
Europe ; inhabits Northern Asia as far as Siberia and Kamtschatka ;
and is also abundant in North America.”

The authors of the “ Northern Zoology” describe another bird allied
to the linnets, of which one individual only was obtained in the last
northern expedition. It is said to be new, and is described as Linaria
(Leocosticte) Teprocotis, Sw. grey-crowned linnet. It is an aberrant form
of Iinaria, which Mr Swainson proposes to designate under the above
sub-generic title.— Ep,

36 LESSER REDPOLL.

to furnish a particular description of this species. But this sup-
plementary notice would not have been considered necessary, if
our author had not fallen into a mistake respecting the mark-
ings of the female and the young male; the former of which
he describes as ‘ destitute of the crimson on the forehead,’ and
the latter, ‘not receiving that ornament till the succeeding
spring. When Mr Wilson procured his specimens, it was in
the autumn, previously to their receiving their perfect winter
dress ; and he was never afterwards aware of his error, owing
to the circumstance of these birds seldom appearing in the
neighbourhood of Philadelphia. Considerable flocks of them,
however, have visited us this winter (1813-14) ; and we have
been enabled to procure several fine specimens of both sexes,
from the most perfect of which we have taken the following
description. We will add, that having had the good fortune to
observe a flock, consisting of nearly an hundred, within a few
feet of them, as they were busily engaged in picking the seeds
of the wild orache,* we can, with confidence, assert, that they
all had the red patch on the crown; but there were very few
which had the red rump and breast: the young males, it is
probable, are not thus marked until the spring, and the females
are destitute of that ornament altogether.

‘“‘The lesser redpoll is five inches and a quarter in length,
and eight inches and a half in breadth ; the bill is pale yellow,
ridged above and below with dark horn colour, the upper
mandible projecting somewhat over the lower at the tip ; irides,
dark hazel ; the nostrils are covered with recumbent, hair-like
feathers, of drab colour ; a line of brown extends from the
eyes, and encircles the base of the bill, forming, in some
specimens, a patch below the chin; the crown is ornamented
with a pretty large spot of deep shining crimson; the throat,
breast, and rump, stained with the same, but of a more delicate
red ; the belly is of a very pale ash, or dull white; the sides
are streaked with dusky ; the whole upper parts are brown or
dusky ; the plumage, edged with yellowish white and pale ash,

* Atriplex hastata, Linn.

Drawn from Nature by dA Wilson Engraved by WH. Lixars

1 American Crossiill. 2.Female. 3 White-winged Crossbil.4. White-crowned Bunting. 3. Bavy-winged B,

ol.

AMERICAN CROSSBILL. Bi

the latter most predominant near the rump; wings and tail,
dusky ; the latter is forked, and consists of twelve feathers
edged with white ; the primaries are very slightly tipt and
edged with white, the secondaries more so; the greater and
lesser coverts are also tipt with white, forming the bars across
the wings ; thighs, cinereous ; legs and feet, black ; hind claw,
considerably hooked, and longer than the rest. The female is
less bright in her plumage above ; and her under parts incline
more to an ash colour; the spot on her crown is of a golden crim-
son, or reddish saffron colour. One male specimen was consi-
derably larger than the rest ; it measured five inches and three
quarters in length, and nine inches and a quarter in extent ; the
breast and rump were tawny ; itsclaws were uncommonly long,
the hind one measured nearly three-eighths of an inch ; and the
spot on the crown was of a darker hue than that of the rest.

“The call of this bird exactly resembles that of the /ringilla
wristis, or common yellow bird of Pennsylvania. The redpolls
linger in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia until about the
middle of April; but whither they retire for the business of
incubation, we cannot determine. In common with almost
all our finches, the redpolls become very fat, and are then
accounted delicious eating. During the last winter, many
hundreds of them were exposed to sale in the Philadelphia
market, and were readily purchased by those epicures, whose
love of variety permits no delicacy to escape them.” |

AMERICAN CROSSBILL. (Curvirostra Americana.)

PLATE XXXI.—Fic. 1. MALE; Fic. 2. FEMALE.

Peale’s Museum, No. 5640.
LOXIA CURVIROSTRA?—BonAPARTE.*

Loxia curvirostra, Bonap. Synop. p. 117.
On first glancing at the bill of this extraordinary bird, one is
apt to pronounce it deformed and monstrous; but on atten-

* Brisson first limited the crossbills to a genus, and proposed for them
the title Loxia, which has been adopted by most ornithologists. Crucz-

3 8 AMERICAN CROSSBILL.

tively observing the use to which it is applied by the owner,
and the dexterity with which he detaches the seeds of the pine
tree from the cone, and from the husks that enclose them, we

rostra and Ourvirostra, have also been formed for it from the shape of
the bill; but ought to be rejected, from the priority of the former. They
are a very limited group, being composed of at most four species, pro-
vided that of America be proved distinct, or one differing from those of
Europe be found in the former continent. Their distribution appears
to extend pretty generally over the north of Europe, decreasing in num-
bers to the south, and over North America. In form, all the members
are similar. They are endowed with considerable power of flight ; are
of a thick, stout make, and in addition to the curiously formed bill,
possess scansorial habits, using their bills and feet to disengage the seeds
from the fir cones, when in confinement, holding their food like a parrot
in the latter member, and by the same means climbing about the wires
of the cage.

Regarding the identity of our author’s species with that of this coun-
try, | am uncertain, not having a specimen of the bird from America.
Wilson thinks it distinct, and I have been told the same thing by Audu-
bon. On the other hand, we have the authority of Bonaparte, who thus
writes in his Observations on Wilson’s Nomenclature :—‘‘ 1 think Wilson
was in error when he considered this bird a new species, and stated that
it differs considerably from the European. He probably compared it
with the L. pytiopsittacus, and not with the curvirostra, with which latter
it is identical. Wilson’s new names must therefore be rejected, and the
name of Loxia curvirostra must be restored to this bird.” Our author
was also incorrect in remarking, that “the young males, as is usual
with most other birds, very much resemble the female.” The fact is,
that the young of all the crossbills, as well as that of Pyrrhula enucleator,
contrary to the habit of the generality of birds, lose their red colour as
they advance in age, instead of gaining an additional brilliancy of plum-
age. The figure which our author gives as that of an adult male, repre-
sents a young bird of about one year, and his supposed female is a
remarkably tine adult male.

The species of this group, then, are,—L. pytiopsittacus, or parrot-billed
crossbill of Europe, and which Bonaparte also hints the possibility of
finding in America, a circumstance I should think very likely,—the Z.
leucoptera, and the L. curvirostra ; but I fear we must remain uncertain
whether the last constitutes one or two, until the examination of nume-
rous specimens from both countries decide the point. The haunts of our
common species in Europe are the immense northern pine forests, where
their chief food is the seeds of the fir cones; from thence, after breeding,
they appear to migrate to various parts southward, in comparatively

AMERICAN CROSSBILL. 39

are obliged to confess, on this, as on many other occasions,
where we have judged too hastily of the operations of Nature,
that no other conformation could have been so excellently
adapted to the purpose; and that its deviation from the
common form, instead of being a defect or monstrosity, as
the celebrated French naturalist insinuates, is a striking proof of
the wisdom and kind superintending care of the great Creator.

small flocks, at uncertain intervals. This is the case with those which
visit Britain. They must hatch very early, arriving in this country by
the middle of June ; the females at that time bear all the marks of in-
cubation, but have never yet been authentically proved to breed in this
country, as supposed by Mr Knap, from the bareness of the breast. They
descend, at the same season, to the orchards, where they do considerable
damage, by splitting the apples for the pips, thus leaving the fruit use-
less, and incapable of farther growth ; and, at the same time, giving us
a good instance of the power of their bills. Some old writers accuse
them of visiting Worcester and Herefordshire, “in great flocks, for the
sake of the seeds of the apple. Repeated persecution on this account
perhaps lessened their numbers, and their depredations at the present
day are unnoticed or unknown:” their visitations, at least, are less
frequent ; for a later writer in Loudon’s Magazine observes, that, in
1821, and the commencement of 1822 (the same season of their great
appearance mentioned by Mr Selby), a large flock of crossbills frequented
some fir groves at Cothoridge, near Worcester, where they used to visit
the same spot pretty regularly twice a-day, delighting chiefly on the
Weymouth pines. When feeding, they seem in this country, as well as
with our author, to be remarkably tame, or so much engrossed with their
food, as to be unmindful of danger. Montague relates, that a birdcatcher
at Bath had taken a hundred pairs in the month of June and July,
1791 ; and so intent were these birds when picking out the seeds of a
cone, that they would suffer themselves to be caught with a hair noose
at the end of a long fishing-rod. In 1821, this country was visited with
large flocks ; they appeared in June, and gradually moved northward,
as they were observed by Mr Selby in September among the fir tracts
of Scotland, after they had disappeared to the southward of the river
Tweed. In 1828, a pretty large flock visited the vicinity of Ambleside,
Westmoreland. Their favourite haunt was a plantation of young larches,
where they might be seen disporting almost every day, particularly be-
tween the hours of eleven and one.

I have quoted no synonyms which belong to our British species. The
American birds appear to me much smaller ; that is, to judge from our
author’s plate, and the usually correct drawings of Mr Audubon.— Ep,

40 AMERICAN CROSSBILL.

This species is a regular inhabitant of almost all our pine
forests situated north of 40°, from the beginning of September
to the middle of April. It is not improbable that some of
them remain during summer within the territory of the
United States to breed. Their numbers must, however, be
comparatively few, as I have never yet met with any of them
in summer; though lately I took a journey to the Great Pine
Swamp beyond Pocano mountain, in Northampton county,
Pennsylvania, in the month of May, expressly for that pur-
pose; and ransacked, for six or seven days, the gloomy
recesses of that extensive and desolate morass, without being
able to discover a single crossbill. In fall, however, as well
as in winter and spring, this tract appears to be their
favourite rendezvous ; particularly about the head waters of
the Lehigh, the banks of the Tobyhanna, Tunkhannock, and
Bear Creek, where I have myself killed them at these seasons.
They then appear in large flocks, feeding on the seeds of
the hemlock and white pine, have a loud, sharp, and not
unmusical note; chatter as they fly; alight, during the
prevalence of deep snows, before the door of the hunter, and
around the house, picking off the clay with which the logs
are plastered, and searching in corners where urine, or any
substance of a saline quality, had been thrown. At such
times they are so tame as only to settle on the roof of the
cabin when disturbed, and a moment after descend to feed as
before. They are then easily caught in traps; and will fre-
quently permit one to approach so near as to knock them
down with a stick. Those killed and opened at such times
are generally found to have the stomach filled with a soft
greasy kind of earth or clay. When kept in a cage, they
have many of the habits of the parrot ; often climbing along
the wires; and using their feet to grasp the cones in, while
taking out the seeds.

This same species is found in Nova Scotia, and as far north
as Hudson’s Bay, arriving at Severn. River about the latter
end of May; and, according to accounts, proceeding farther

AMERICAN CROSSBILL. 4

north to breed. It is added by Pennant, that “they return
at the first setting in of frost.”

Hitherto this bird has, as usual, been considered a mere
variety of the European species ; though differing from it in
several respects, and being nearly one-third less, and although
the singular conformation of the bill of these birds, and their
peculiarity of manners, are strikingly different from those of
the grosbeaks, yet many, disregarding these plain and obvious
discriminations, still continue to consider them as belonging
to the genus Lowa; as if the particular structure of the bill
should, in all cases but this, be the criterion by which to
judge of a species; or perhaps, conceiving themselves the
wiser of the two, they have thought proper to associate
together what Nature has, in the most pointed manner,
placed apart.

In separating these birds, therefore, from the grosbeaks,
and classing them as a family by themselves, substituting the
specific for the generic appellation, I have only followed the
steps and dictates of that great Original, whose arrangements
ought never to be disregarded by any who would faithfully
copy her.

The crossbills are subject to considerable changes of colour ;
the young males of the present species being, during the first
season, olive yellow, mixed with ash; then bright greenish
yellow, intermixed with spots of dusky olive, all of which
yellow plumage becomes, in the second year, of a light red,
having the edges of the tail inclining to yellow. When con-
fined in a cage, they usually lose the red colour at the first
moulting, that tint changing to a brownish yellow, which
remains permanent. ‘The same circumstance happens to the
purple finch and pine grosbeak, both of which, when in con-
finement, exchange their brilliant crimson for a motley garb
of light brownish yellow ; as I have had frequent opportunities
of observing.

The male of this species, when in perfect plumage, is five
inches and three quarters long, and nine inches in extent ;

42 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL.

the bill is a brown horn colour, sharp, and single-edged
towards the extremity, where the mandibles cross each other ;
the general colour of the plumage is a red-lead colour,
brightest on the rump, generally intermixed on the other
parts with touches of olive ; wings and tail, brown black, the
latter forked, and edged with yellow ; legs and feet, brown ;
claws, large, much curved, and very sharp; vent, white,
streaked with dark ash ; base of the bill, covered with recum-
bent down, of a pale brown colour ; eye, hazel.

The female is rather less than the male ; the bill of a paler
horn colour; rump, tail-coverts, and edges of the tail, golden
yellow ; wings and tail, dull brownish black ; the rest of the
plumage, ‘olive yellow mixed with ash; legs and feet, as in
the male. The young males, during the first season, as is
usual with most other birds, very much resemble the female.
In moulting, the males exchange their red for brownish
yellow, which gradually brightens into red. Hence, at dif-
ferent seasons, they differ greatly in colour.

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. (Curvirostra

leucoptera. )
PLATE XXXI.—Fic. 3.

Turton, Syst. i. p. 515.
LOXIA LEUCOPTERA.—GMELIN.*

Loxia leucoptera, Bonap. Synop. p. 117.

THis is a much rarer species than the preceding; though

found frequenting the same places, and at the same seasons ;

* Bonaparte has fulfilled Wilson’s promise, and figured the female of
this species, with some valuable remarks regarding its first discovery
and habits, which will be found in Vol. III. From these it appears to
be very like its congeners, performing its migrations at uncertain periods
and in various abundance, enjoying the pine forests, though not farther
known by any destructive propensities among orchards. It may be
looked upon yet as exclusively North American. The only record of

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 43

differing, however, from the former in the deep black wings
and tail, the large bed of white on the wing, the dark crimson
of the plumage ; and a less and more slender conformation of
body. The bird represented in the plate was shot in the
neighbourhood of the Great Pine Swamp, in the month of
September, by my friend Mr Ainsley, a German naturalist,
collector in this country for the emperor of Austria. The
individual of this species, mentioned by Turton and Latham,
had evidently been shot in moulting time. The present
specimen was a male in full and perfect plumage.

The white-winged crossbill is five inches and a quarter long,
and eight inches and a quarter in extent; wings and tail,
deep black, the former crossed with two broad bars of white ;
general colour of the plumage dark crimson, partially spotted
with dusky; lores and frontlet, pale brown; vent, white,
streaked with black ; bill, a brown horn colour, the mandibles
crossing each other as in the preceding species, the lower
sometimes bending to the right, sometimes to the left, usually
to the left in the male, and to the right in the female of the
American crossbill. The female of the present species will
be introduced as soon as a good specimen can be obtained,
with such additional facts relative to their manners as may
then be ascertained.

its being found in another country is in extracts from the minute book
of the Linnean Society for 1803. ‘“ Mr Templeton, A.L.S. of Orange-
grove, near Belfast, in a letter to Mr Dawson Turner, F.L.S., mentions
that the white-winged crossbill, Loria falcirostra of Latham, was shot
within two miles of Belfast, in the month of January 1802. It was a
female, and perfectly resembled the figure in Dixon’s Voyage to the
North-west Coast of America.” Such is the only record we have of this
bird as a British visitor. When Ireland becomes more settled, and her
naturalists more devoted to actual observation, we may hear more of
L. leucoptera, Cypselus melba, &c, Bonaparte, in his description of the
female, has entered fully into the reasons for adopting the specific name
of leucoptera.— Ep,

44 WHITE-CROWNED BUNTING.

WHITE-CROWNED BUNTING. (Emberiza leucophrys.)
PLATE XXXI.—Fie. 4.

Turton, Syst. p. 536.—Peale’s Museum, No. 6587.
ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHRYS.—SwWAINsoNn.

Fringilla leucophrys, Bonap. Synop. p. 107.—Fringilla (Zonotrichia) HELETIDLES IS:
North. Zool. ii. p. 255.

THis beautifully marked species is one of the rarest of its
tribe in the United States, being chiefly confined to the
northern districts, or higher interior parts of the country,
except in severe winters, when some few wanderers appear in
the lower parts of the state of Pennsylvania. Of three speci-
mens of this bird, the only ones I have yet met with, the first
was caught in a trap near the city of New York, and lived
with me several months. It had no song, and, as I afterwards
discovered, was a female. Another, a male, was presented to
me by Mr Michael of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. ‘The third, a
male, and in complete plumage, was shot in the Great Pine
Swamp, in the month of May, and is faithfully represented in
the plate. It appeared to me to be unsuspicious, silent, and
solitary ; flitting in short flights among the underwood and
piles of prostrate trees, torn up by a tornado, that some years
ago passed through the swamp. All my endeavours to dis-
cover the female or nest were unsuccessful.

From the great scarcity of this species, our acquaintance
with its manners is but very limited. Those persons who
have resided near Hudson’s Bay, where it is common, inform
us, that it makes its nest in June, at the bottom of willows,
and lays four chocolate-coloured eggs. Its flight is said to
be short and silent; but, when it perches, it sings very
melodiously.*

The white-crowned bunting is seven inches long, and ten
inches in extent; the bill, a cinnamon brown; crown, from

* Arctic Zoology.

BAY-WINGED BUNTING. AS

the front to the hind head, pure white, bounded on each side
by a stripe of black proceeding from each nostril; and these
again are bordered by a stripe of pure white passing over each
eye to the hind head, where they meet ; below this, another
narrow stripe of black passes from the posterior angle of the
eye, widening as it descends to the hind head; chin, white ;
breast, sides of the neck, and upper parts of the same, very
pale ash ; back, streaked laterally with dark rusty brown and
pale bluish white ; wings, dusky, edged broadly with brown ;
the greater and lesser coverts tipt broadly with white, forming
two handsome bands across the wing; tertials, black, edged
with brown and white; rump and tail-coverts, drab, tipt with
a lighter tint; tail, long, rounded, dusky, and edged broadly
with drab; belly, white; vent, pale yellow ochre ; legs and
feet, reddish brown; eye, reddish hazel; lower eyelid, white.

The female may easily be distinguished from the male, by the
white on the head being less pure, the black also less in extent,
and the ash on the breast darker ; she is also smaller in size.

There is a considerable resemblance between this species
and the white-throated sparrow, already described in this
work. Yet they rarely associate together; the latter re-
maining in the lower parts of Pennsylvania in great numbers,
until the beginning of May, when they retire to the north
and to the high inland regions to breed ; the former inhabiting
much more northern countries, and though said to be common
in Canada, rarely visiting this part of the United States.

BAY-WINGED BUNTING. (imberiza graminea.)
PLATE XXXI.—Fie. 5.

Grass Finch, Arct. Zool. No. 253.—Lath. iii. 273.—Turton, Syst. i. p. 565.
ZONOTRICHIA GRAMINEA.—SWAINSON.
Fringilla graminea, Bonap. Synop. p. 108.—Fringilla (Zonotrichia) graminea,
North. Zool. ii. p. 254.
Tue manners of this bird bear great affinity to those of the
common bunting of Britain. It delights in frequenting grass

46 BAY-WINGED BUNTING.

and clover fields, perches on the tops of the fences, singing,
from the middle of April to the beginning of July, with a
clear and pleasant note, in which particular it far excels its
European relation. It is partially a bird of passage here,
some leaving us, and others remaining with us, during the
winter. In the month of March I observed them numerous
in the lower parts of Georgia, where, according to Mr Abbot,
they are only winter visitants. They frequent the middle of
fields more than hedges or thickets; run along the ground
like a lark, which they also resemble in the great breadth of
their wings. They are timid birds, and rarely approach the
farmhouse.

Their nest is built on the ground, in a grass or clover field,
and formed of old withered leaves and dry grass, and lined
with hair. The female lays four or five eggs, of a grayish
white. On the first week in May, I found one of their nests
with four young, from which circumstance I think it probable
that they raise two or more broods in the same season.

This bird measures five inches and three quarters in length,
and ten inches and a half in extent; the upper parts are
cinereous brown, mottled with deep brown or black; lesser
wing-coverts, bright bay ; greater, black, edged with very pale
brown; wings, dusky, edged with brown; the exterior primary,
edged with white; tail, sub-cuneiform, the outer feather white
on the exterior edge, and tipt with white; the next, tipt and
edged for half an inch with the same ; the rest, dusky, edged
with pale brown ; bill, dark brown above, paler below ; round
the eye is a narrow circle of white ; upper part of the breast,
yellowish white, thickly streaked with pointed spots of black
that pass along the sides; belly and vent, white; legs and
feet, flesh-coloured ; third wing-feather from the body, nearly
as long as the tip of the wing when shut.

I can perceive little or no difference between the colours
and markings of the male and female.

rm
yj)
Ce

Hiya Anni,

gt 1 Oo
Di
ame By) ue

LSnow Owl. 2. Male Sparrow Hawk.
32.

Yreasn tron Nacire by A Wilsor

SNMOW OWL. 47

SNOW OWL. § (Strix nyctea.)

PLATE XXXII.—Fie. 1. MAE.
Lath. i. 132. No. 17.—Buff. i. 387.—Great White Owl, Hdw. 61.—Snowy Owl,
Arct. Zool. 233. No. 121.—Peale’s Museum, No. 458.
SURNIA NYCTEA.—DUvUMERIL.

Snowy Owl, Mont. Orn. Dict. Supp.—Bewickh’s Brit. Birds, Supp.—Snowy Owl,
Strix nyctea, Selby’s Brit. Orn. p. 58, pl. 23.—Strix nyctea, Zemm. Man. i.
p. 82.—Flem. Br. Anim. p. 58.—Bonap. Synop. p. 36.—North. Zool. ii. p. 88.

THE snow owl represented in the plate is reduced to half its
natural size. ‘To preserve the apparent magnitude, the other
accompanying figures are drawn by the same scale.

This great northern hunter inhabits the coldest and most
dreary regions of the northern hemisphere on both continents.
The forlorn mountains of Greenland, covered with eternal
ice and snows, where, for nearly half the year, the silence of
death and desolation might almost be expected to reign,
furnish food and shelter to this hardy adventurer; whence
he is only driven by the extreme severity of weather towards
the sea-shore. He is found in Lapland, Norway, and the
country near Hudson’s Bay, during the whole year ; is said to
be common in Siberia, and numerous in Kamtschatka. He is
often seen in Canada and the northern districts of the United
States; and sometimes extends his visits to the borders of
Florida. Nature, ever provident, has so effectually secured
this bird from the attacks of cold, that not even a point is left
exposed. ‘The bill is almost completely hid among’a mass of
feathers that cover the face; the legs are clothed with such
an exuberance of long, thick, hair-like plumage, as to appear
nearly as large as those of a middle-sized dog, nothing being
visible but the claws, which are large, black, much hooked,
and extremely sharp. The whole plumage below the surface
is of the most exquisitely soft, warm, and elastic kind, and so
closely matted together as to make it a difficult matter to
penetrate to the skin.

48 SNOW OWL.

The usual food of this species is said to be hares, grouse,
rabbits, ducks, mice, and even carrion. Unlike most of his
tribe, he hunts by day as well as by twilight, and is particu-
larly fond of frequenting the shores and banks of shallow
rivers, over the surface of which he slowly sails, or sits on a
rock a little raised above the water, watching for fish. These
he seizes with a sudden and instantaneous stroke of the foot,
seldom missing his aim. In the more southern and thickly
settled parts, he is seldom seen; and when he appears, his
size, colour, and singular aspect, attract general notice.*

In the month of October, I met with this bird on Oswego
River, New York State, a little below the Falls, vigilantly
watching for fish. At Pittsburg, in the month of February,
I saw another, which had been shot in the wing some time
before. Ata place on the Ohio, called Long Reach, I exa-
mined another, which was-the first ever recollected*to have
been seen there. In the town of Cincinnati, State of Ohio,
two of these birds alighted on the roof of the court house, and
alarmed the whole town. A people more disposed to super-
stition would have deduced some dire or fortunate prognos-
tication from their selecting such.a place ; but the only
solicitude was how to get possession of them, which, after
several volleys, was at length effected. One of these, a female,

* The following observations by Mr Bree of Allesly, taken from
Loudon’s Magazine of Natural History, will show that other owls also
fish for their prey :—‘‘ Probably it may not be generally known to
naturalists, that the common brown owl (Strix stridula), is in the
habit—occasionally, at least—of feeding its young with live fish,—a
fact which I have ascertained beyond doubt. Some years since several
young owls were taken from the nest, and placed in a yew tree, in the
rectory garden here. In this situation, the parent birds repeatedly
brought them live fish, bull heads (Cottus gobbius), and loach (Colitis
barbatula), which had doubtless been procured from a neighbouring
brook, in which these species abound. Since the above period, I have,
upon more than one occasion, found the same fish, either whole or in
fragments, lying under the trees on which I have observed the young
owls to perch after they have left the nest, and where the old birds
were accustomed to feed them.” —Ep.

SNOW OWL. 49

J afterwards examined, when on my way through that place
to New Orleans. Near Bairdstown, in Kentucky, I met with
a large and very beautiful one, which appeared to be altogether
unknown to the inhabitants of that quarter, and excited general
surprise. A person living on the eastern shore of Maryland,
shot one of these birds a few months ago, a female; and,
having stuffed the skin, brought it to Philadelphia, to Mr
Peale, in expectation, no doubt, of a great reward. I have
examined eleven of these birds within these fifteen months
last past, in different and very distant parts of the country,
all of which were shot either during winter, late in the fall,
or early in spring; so that it does not appear certain whether
any remain during summer within the territory of the United
States ; though I think it highly probable that a few do, in
some of the more northern inland parts, where they are most
numerous during winter.

The colour of this bird is well suited for concealment, while
roaming over the general waste of snows ; and its flight strong
and swift, very similar to that of some of our large hawks.
Its hearing must be exquisite, if we Judge from the largeness
of these organs in it; and its voice is so dismal, that, as
Pennant observes, it adds horror even to the regions of
Greenland, by its hideous cries, resembling those of a man in
deep distress.

The male of this species measures twenty-two inches and a
half in length, and four feet six inches in breadth ; head and
neck, nearly white, with a few small dots of dull brown
interspersed ; eyes, deep sunk, under projecting eyebrows, the
plumage at their internal angles, fluted or prest in, to admit
direct vision ; below this it bristles up, covering nearly the
whole bill; the irides are of the most brilliant golden yellow,
and the countenance, from the proportionate smallness of the
head, projection of the eyebrow, and concavity of the plumage
at the angle of the eye, very different from that of any other
of the genus; general colour of the body, white, marked with

lunated spots of pale brown above, and with semicircular
VOL. II. D

Oe SNOW OWL.

dashes below ; femoral feathers, long, and legs covered, even
over the claws, with long shaggy hair-like down, of a dirty
white ; the claws, when exposed, appear large, much hooked,
of a black colour, and extremely sharp pointed ; back, white ;
tail, rounded at the end, white, slightly dotted with pale
brown near the tips; wings, when closed, reach near the
extremity of the tail; vent-feathers, large, strong shafted,
and extending also to the point of the tail ; upper part of the
breast and belly, plain white; body, very broad and flat.

The female, which measures two feet in length, and five
feet two inches in extent, is covered more thickly with spots
of a much darker colour than those on the male; the chin,
throat, face, belly, and vent, are white; femoral feathers,
white, long, and shaggy, marked with a few heart-shaped
spots of brown ; legs, also covered to the claws with long white
hairy down; rest of the plumage white, every feather spotted
or barred with dark brown, largest on the wing-quills, where
they are about two inches apart; fore part of the crown,
thickly marked with roundish black spots ; tail, crossed with
bands of broad brownish spots ; shafts of all the plumage,
white; bill and claws, as in the male, black; third and
fourth wing-quill the longest ; span of the foot, four inches.

From the various individuals of these birds which I have
examined, I have reason to believe that the male alone
approaches nearly to white in his plumage, the female rarely
or never. The bird from which the figure in the plate was
drawn, was killed at Ege Harbour, New Jersey, in the month
of December. The conformation of the eye of this bird forms
a curious and interesting subject to the young anatomist.
The globe of the eye is immoveably fixed in its socket, by a
strong elastic hard cartilaginous case, in form of a truncated
cone ; this case being closely covered with a skin, appears at
first to be of one continued piece; but, on removing the
exterior membrane, it is found to be formed of fifteen pieces,
placed like the staves of a cask, overlapping a little at the
base, or narrow end, and seem as if capable of being enlarged

SNOW OWL. SY

or contracted, perhaps by the muscular membrane with which
they are encased. In five other different species of owls,
which I have since examined, I found nearly the same con-
formation of this organ, and exactly the same number of
staves. The eye being thus fixed, these birds, as they view
different objects, are always obliged to turn the head; and
Nature has so excellently adapted their neck to this purpose,
that they can, with ease, turn it round, without moving the
body, in almost a complete circle.*

* In prefixing the generic appellations to this curious family, I must
at once confess my inability to do it in a manner satisfactory to myself.
They have been yet comparatively unstudied ; and the organs of greatest
importance have been seemingly most neglected. Neither my own
collection, nor those accessible in Britain, contain sufficient materials
to decide upon: I will, therefore, consider any attempt now to divide
them in the words of Mr Swainson, “as somewhat speculative, and
certainly not warranted by any evidence that has yet been brought for-
ward on the subject.” The names are applied, then, on the authority
of ornithologists of high standing.

This owl, and some others, will form the genus Woctua of Savigny
and Cuvier, and are closely allied to the Surnia of Dumeril. In fact, the
characters of the latter appear to me to agree better than those of Woctua ;
and Lesson says, ‘“‘ Les cheveches ne se font pas reconnaitre trés nette-
ment des chouettes.” The snowy owl feeds by day as well as by night,
and is much more active than the night feeding birds ; it approaches
nearer to the hawk owls. The head is less; the tail and wings,
elongated, and the plumage is more compact and rigid. It appears to
extend as far north in America as any inhabited country, and is found
in the coldest districts of Europe. It is also mentioned by Pennant to
reach beyond the Asiatic frontier to the hot latitude of Astracan (a
contrast, uf it should turn out the same species), and was discovered to
breed in Orkney and Shetland by Mr Bullock, who procured several
specimens. Its visits to the mainland of Britain are, again, more rare ;
indeed, I believe one of the only instances on record is that of a male
and female killed near Rothbury in Northumberland, in January 1823,
—a winter remarkable for a severe snow storm. They were killed on
an open moor, in a wild and rocky part of the country, and were gene-
rally seen perched upon the snow, or upon some large stone projecting
fromit. Both now form beautiful specimens in the collection of Mr Selby.

They become very familiar in winter, approaching close to the dwell-
ings of the Indians. In Lapland they are shot with ball when hunting
after moles and lemmings, and in that country, like many other owls,

52 AMERICAN SPARKOW HAWK.

AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. (Falco sparverius.)
PLATE XXXIL—Fic. 2, MaLe.

Little Hawk, Arct. Zool. 211, No. 110.—Emerillon de Cayenne, Buff. i. 291.
Pl. enl. No. 444.—Lath. i. 110.—Peale’s Museum, No. 340.

FALCO SPARVERIUS.—LINNAUS.

Falco sparverius, Bonap. Synop. p. 27.—Falco sparverius, Little Rusty-crowned
Falcon, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 31.

Tue female of this species has been already figured and
described in Vol. I. of this work. As they differ considerably
in the markings of their plumage, the male is introduced here,
drawn to one half its natural size, to conform with the rest of
the figures on the plate.

The male sparrow hawk measures about ten inches in length,
and twenty-one in extent ; the whole upper parts of the head
are of a fine slate blue, the shafts of the plumage being black,
the crown excepted, which is marked with a spot of bright
rufous ; the slate tapers to a point on each side of the neck ;
seven black spots surround the head, as in the female, on a

they are looked upon with superstition. They utter a sound at night
when perched, like the grunting of pigs, which, by the common and
uninformed people, is thought to be some apparition or spectre. By
Hearne the snow owl is said to be known to watch the grouse shooters
a whole day, for the purpose of sharing inthe spoil. On such occasions,
it perches on a high tree, and when a bird is shot, skims down and
carries it off before the sportsman can get nearit. We have the fol-
lowing remarks by Dr Richardson in the ‘“ Northern Zoology ” :—
“‘ Frequents most of the arctic lands that have been visited, but retires
with the ptarmigan, on which it preys, to more sheltered districts in
winter ; hunts by day. When I have seen it on the barren grounds,
it was generally squatting on the earth; and if put up, it alighted
again after a short flight, but was always so wary as to be approached
with difficulty. In woody districts it shows less caution. I have seen
it pursue the American hare on the wing, making repeated strokes at
the animal with its feet. In winter, when this owl is fat, the Indians
and white residents in the Fur Countries esteem it to be good eating,
Its flesh is delicately white.” By the Cree Indians it is called Wapow-
keethoo, or Wapahoo ; by the Esquimaux, Oookpééguak ; by the Nor-
wegians, Lemensgriis and Gysfugl; by the Swedes, Harfang.—Ep.

AMERICAN SPARROW HAWE. 53

reddish white ground, which also borders each sloping side of
the blue; front, lores, line over and under the eye, chin, and
throat, white; femoral and vent-feathers, yellowish white ;
the rest of the lower parts, of the same tint, each feather
being streaked down: the centre with a long black drop ;
those on the breast, slender, on the sides, larger; upper part
of the back and scapulars, deep reddish bay, marked with ten
or twelve transverse waves of black; whole wing-coverts and
ends of the secondaries, bright slate, spotted with black ;
primaries, and upper half of the secondaries, black, tipt with
white, and spotted on their inner vanes with the same ; lower
part of the back, the rump, and tail-coverts, plain bright bay ;
tail rounded, the two exterior feathers, white, their inner
vanes beautifully spotted with black; the next, bright bay,
with a broad band of black near its end, and tipt for half an
inch with yellowish white; part of its lower exterior edge,
white, spotted with black, and its opposite interior edge,
touched with white ; the whole of the others are very deep
red bay, with a single broad band of black near the end, and
tipt with yellowish white ; cere and legs, yellow; orbits, the
same ; bill, light blue; iris of the eye, dark, almost black ;
claws, blue black.

The character of this corresponds with that of the female,
given at large in Vol. I. p. 262. I have reason, however, to
believe, that these birds vary considerably in the colour and
markings of their plumage during the first and second years ;
having met with specimens every way corresponding with the
above, except in the breast, which was a plain rufous white,
without spots ; the markings on the tail also differing a little in
different specimens. ‘These I uniformly found, on dissection,
to be males ; from the stomach of one of which I took a con-
siderable part of the carcass of a robin (Turdus migratorvus), in-
cluding the unbroken feet and claws; though the robin actually
measures within half an inch as long as the sparrow hawk.*

* Bonaparte has separated the small American falcons from the larger
kinds, characterising the group as having the wings shorter than the tail,

54 ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON.

ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. (Falco lagopus.)
PLATE XXXIII.—Fic. 1.

Arct. Zool. p. 200, No. 92.—Lath. i. 75.—Peale’s Museum, No. 116.

BUTEO LAGOPUS.—BECHSTEIN?

Rough-legged Falcon, Mont. Ornith.'Dict. Supp.—Bew. Br. Birds, Supp.—
Rough-legged Buzzard, Selby’s Illust. Br. Ornith. i. p. 20. pl. 7.—Falco
lagopus, Zemm. Man. i. p. 65.—Bonap. Synop. p. 32.—Buteo lagopus, Flem.
Br. Anim. p. 54.—WNorth. Zool. ii. p. 52.

Tris handsome species, notwithstanding its formidable size
and appearance, spends the chief part of the winter among

tarsi scutellated ; and Mr Swainson says, that the group seems natural,
differing somewhat in their manners from the larger falcons, and having
analogies in their habits to the shrikes.

With both these we agree. It is long since we thought the general
form and habits of our common kestrel—analogous to Wilson’s bird in
Europe—differed from those of the true falcons, as much, certainly, as
Astur does from Accipiter, and both should be only by subordinate divi-
sions. The manner of suspending itself in the air is exactly similar to
that of our windhover ; and I am not aware that this peculiar manner
of hunting is made use of by any other of the Falconide, with the excep-
tion of the kestrels, that is, those of Europe or Africa, #. rupicola, tunun-
culoides, &c. The true falcons survey the ground by extensive sweeps,
or a rapid flight, and stoop at once on their prey with the velocity and
force of lightning; the others quietly watch their quarry when suspended
or perched on a bare eminence or tree in the manner described, and take
it by surprise. Insects, reptiles, and small animals form part of their
food; and to the old falconists they were known by the name of
“Tonoble.” The whole of the kestrels are very familiar, easily tamed,
and when in confinement become even playful. Their great breeding-
place is steep rocks, clothed with ivy, and fringed with the various wild
plants incident to the different climes; in the chinks and hearts of these
they nestle, often in security from any clamberer that has not the assist-
ance of a rope ; though the appearance of a stranger immediately calls
forth peculiarly shrill and timid notes of alarm. When the young are
hatched, and partly advanced, they may be seen stretching out from their
hole, and, on the appearance of their parent, mutual greetings are heard,
and in a tone at once different from those before mentioned. Our native
species, in addition to rocks, delights in ruined buildings as a breeding-
place ; and it is remarkable, that perhaps more kestrels build and bring

d Rough - ed F z
3 gh -legged Falcon. 2. Barred Owl. 5. Short eared 0. ERs cele
AD. upmritecl. Py: WH Lr zun's

ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. 55

our low swamps and meadows, watching for mice, frogs,
lame ducks, and other inglorious game. ‘T'wenty or thirty
individuals of this family have regularly taken up their winter
quarters, for several years past, and probably long anterior
to that date, in the meadows below this city, between the
rivers Delaware and Schuylkill, where they spend their time
watching along the dry banks like cats; or sailing low and
slowly over the surface of the ditches. ‘Though rendered shy
from the many attempts made to shoot them, they seldom fly
far, usually from one tree to another at no great distance,
making a loud squeeling as they arise, something resembling
the neighing of a young colt, though in a more shrill and
savage tone.

The bird represented in the plate was one of this fraternity,

to maturity their young in London, than in any space of the same dimen-
sions: the breeding-places there are the belfries of the different churches,
where neither the bustle beneath, nor the jingle of the bells, seems to have
any effect upon them.

We have the following characteristic observations on this species in
the “ Northern Zoology” :—.

“Tn the vicinity of Carlton House, where the plains are beautifully
ornamented by numerous small clumps of aspens, that give a rich pic-
turesque effect to the landscape, which I have never seen equalled in an
English park, this small falcon was frequently discovered, perched upon
the most lofty tree in the clump, sitting with his eye apparently closed,
but, nevertheless, sufficiently awake to what was going on, as it would
occasionally evince, by suddenly pouncing upon any small bird that
happened to come within its reach. It is the least shy of any of the
American hawks ; and, when on its perch, will suffer the fowler to ad-
vance to the foot of the tree, provided he has the precaution to make a
slow and devious approach. He is not, however, unnoticed ; for the
bird shows, by the motion of its head, that he is carefully watching his
manceuvres, though, unless he walks directly towards it, it is not readily
alarmed. When at rest, the wings are closely applied to the sides, with
their tips lying over the tail, about one-third from its end ; and the tail
itself, being closely shut up, looks long and narrow. If its suspicion be
excited, it raises and depresses its head quickly two or three times, and
spreads its tail, but does not open its wings until the instant it takes its
flight. ‘The individuals shot at Carlton House, had mice and small birds
in their stomachs. They were not observed by the expedition beyond
the 54th degree of latitude.”—Ep,

56 ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON.

and several others of the same association have been obtained
and examined during the present winter. On comparing
these with Pennant’s description referred to above, they cor-
respond so exactly, that no doubts remain of their being the
same species. Towards the beginning of April, these birds
abandon this part of the country, and retire to the north to
breed. |
They are common, during winter, in the lower parts of
Maryland, and numerous in the extensive meadows below

Newark, New Jersey; are frequent along the Connecticut

River ; and, according to Pennant, inhabit England, Norway,
and Lapmark. ‘Their flight is slow and heavy. They are
often seen coursing over the surface of the meadows, long
after sunset, many times in pairs. They generally roost on
the tall detached trees that rise from these low grounds ; and
take their stations, at day-break, near a ditch, bank, or hay
stack, for hours together, watching, with patient vigilance,
for the first unlucky frog, mouse, or lizard, to make its
appearance. ‘The instant one of these is descried, the hawk,
sliding into the air, and taking a circuitous course along the
surface, sweeps over the spot, and in an instant has his prey
grappled and sprawling in the air.

The rough-legged hawk measures twenty-two inches in
length, and four feet two inches in extent; cere, sides of the
mouth, and feet, rich yellow ; legs, feathered to the toes, with
brownish yellow plumage, streaked with brown ; femorals, the
same; toes, comparatively short ; claws and bill, blue black ;
iris of the eye, bright amber ; upper part of the head, pale
ochre, streaked with brown; back and wings, chocolate, each
feather edged with bright ferruginous ; first four primaries,
nearly black about the tips, edged externally with silvery in
some lights; rest of the quills, dark chocolate ; lower side,
and interior vanes, white; tail-coverts, white ; tail, rounded,
white, with a broad band of dark brown near the end, and
tipt with white; body below, and breast, light yellow ochre,
blotched and streaked with chocolate. What constitutes a

ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. LY,

characteristic mark of this bird, is a belt, or girdle, of very
dark brown, passing round the belly just below the breast,
and reaching under the wings to the rump; head, very
broad, and bill uncommonly small, suited to the humility of
its prey.

The female is much darker, both above and below, parti-
cularly in the belt, or girdle, which is nearly black; the tail-
coverts are also spotted with chocolate ; she is also something
larger.*

* From their different form, Buteo has been now adopted for the
buzzards. They will also rank in two divisions; those with clothed,
and those with bare tarsi. The American species belonging to the first,
will be our present one, Wilson’s Falco niger, and Audubon’s Ff. Har-
lanii ;1 to the second, Wilson’s B. borealis, hyemalis, and the common
European buzzard, which was met with in the last Overland Arctic
Expedition, The buzzards are sluggish and inactive in their habits ;
their bills, feet, and claws, comparatively weak ; the form heavy, and
the plumage more soft and downy, as if a smooth flight was to supply
in part their want of activity. Their general flight is in sweeping circles,
after mounting from their resting-place. They watch their prey either
from the air, or on some tree or eminence, and sometimes pounce upon
it when sailing near the ground. When satiated, they again return to
their perch, and if undisturbed, will remain in one situation until hunger
again calls them forth. Our present species is one of the more active,
and is common also to the European continent. In Britain, it is an
occasional visitant. They seem to appear at uncertain intervals, in more
abundance ; thus, in 1823, I received two beautiful specimens from East
Lothian ; and, in the same year, two or three more were killed on that
coast. Mr Selby mentions, that in the year 1815, Northumberland was
visited by them, and several specimens were obtained. He remarks,
“Two of these birds, from having attached themselves to a neighbouring
marsh, passed under my frequent observation. Their flight was smooth
but slow, and not unlike that of the common buzzard ; and they seldom
continued for any length of time on the wing. They preyed upon wild
ducks and other birds, frogs and mice, which they mostly pounced upon
on the ground.” They appear to prefer trees for their breeding-place,
whereas rocks, and the sides of deep ravines, are more frequently selected
by the common buzzard. No instance has occurred of them breeding in
this country. In plumage, they vary as much as the common species,
the colour of the upper parts being of lighter or darker shades ; the

1 See description of F. Miger.

58 BARRED OWL.

BARRED OWL. § (Strix nebulosa.)
PLATE XXXIII.—Fic. 2.

Turton, Syst. 169.—Arct. Zool. p. 234, No. 122.—Lath. 133.—-Strix acclamator,
The Whooting Owl, Bartram, 289.—Peale’s Museum, No. 464.

STRIX NEBULOSA.—FOoRSTER.*
La chouette du Canada (Ulula), Cuv. Regn. Anim. i. p. 328.—Strix nebulosa,

(sub-gen. Ulula, Cuv.) Bonap. Synop. p. 38.—Chouette nébuleuse, Zemm. _
Man. i. p. 86.—Strix nebulosa, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 81.

T'n1sis one of our most common owls. In winter particularly,
it is numerous in the lower parts of Pennsylvania, among the

breast sometimes largely patched with deep brown, and sometimes en-
tirely of that colour ; and the white bar at the base of the tail, though
always present, is of various dimensions. Dr Richardson says it arrives
in the Fur Countries in April and May ; and having reared its young,
retires southward early in October. They were so shy, that only one
specimen could be got by the Expedition.—Ep.

* Cuvier places this bird in his genus Ulula, It may be called
nocturnal, though it does show a greater facility of conducting itself
during the day than the really night-living species, and will approach
nearer to the tawny owl of this country than any other ; indeed, it
almost seems the American representative of that species. The tawny
owl, though not so abundant, has the very same manners ; and when
raised from its dormitory in a spruce or silver fir, or holly, or oak that
still carries its leaves, it will flit before one for half a day, moving its
station whenever it thinks the aggressor too near. It does not utter
any cry during flight.

It is common to both continents, visiting, however, only the more
northern parts of the European, and does not extend so generally as
many of those which inhabit both.

According to Mr Audubon, this owl was a most abundant visitor to
his various solitary encampments, often a most amusing one ; and, by
less accustomed travellers, might easily have been converted into some
supposed inhabitant of another world.

“ How often,” says this distinguished ornithologist, “when snugly
settled under the boughs of my temporary encampment, and preparing
to roast a venison steak, or the body of a squirrel, on a wooden spit,
have I been saluted with the exulting bursts of this nightly disturber
of the peace, that, had it not been for him, would have prevailed around
me, as well as in my lonely retreat! How often have I seen this -

BARRED OWL. 59 ©

woods that border the extensive meadows of Schuylkill and
Delaware. It is very frequently observed flying during day,
and certainly sees more distinctly at that time than many of

nocturnal marauder alight within a few yards of me, exposing his whole
body to the glare of my fire, and eye mein such a curious manner, that,
had it been reasonable to do so, I would gladly have invited him to
walk in and join me in my repast, that I might have enjoyed the
pleasure of forming a better acquaintance with him, The liveliness of
his motions, joined to their oddness, have often made me think that his
society would be at least as agreeable as that of many of the buffoons
we meet with in the world. But as such opportunities of forming
acquaintance have not existed, be content, kind reader, with the imper-
fect information which I can give you of the habits of this Sancho
Panga of our woods.

“Such persons as conclude, when looking upon owls in the glare of
day, that they are, as they then appear, extremely dull, are greatly
mistaken. Were they to state, like Buffon, that woodpeckers are
miserable beings, they would be talking as incorrectly ; and, to one who
might have lived long in the woods, they would seem to have lived only
in their libraries.

“The barred owl is found in all those parts of the United States which
I have visited, and is a constant resident. In Louisiana, it seems to be
more abundant than in any other state. It is almost impossible to
travel eight or ten miles in any of the retired woods there, without
seeing several of them even in broad day; and, at the approach of
night, their cries are heard proceeding from every part of the forest
around the plantations. Should the weather be lowering, and indica-
tive of the approach of rain, their cries are so multiplied during the
day, and especially in the evening, and they respond to each other in
tones so strange, that one might imagine some extraordinary féte about
to take place among them. On approaching one of them, its gesticula-
tions are seen to be of a very extraordinary nature. The position of
the bird, which is generally erect, is immediately changed. It lowers
its head and inclines its body, to watch the motions of the person
beneath ; throws forward the lateral feathers of its head, which thus
has the appearance of being surrounded by a broad ruff ; looks towards
him as if half blind, and moves its head to and fro in so extraordinary
a manner, as almost to induce a person to fancy that part dislocated
from the body. It followsall the motions of the intruder with its eyes ;
and should it suspect any treacherous intentions, flies off to a short dis-
tance, alighting with its back to the person, and immediately turning
about with a single jump, to recommence its scrutiny. In this manner,
the barred owl may be followed to a considerable distance, if not shot

60 BARRED OWL.

its genus. In one spring, at different times, I met with more
than forty of them, generally fying or sitting exposed. I also
once met with one of their nests, containing three young, in

at, for to halloo after it does not seem to frighten it much. But if shot
at and missed, it removes to a considerable distance, after which, its
whah-whah-whah is uttered with considerable pomposity. This owl
will answer the imitation of its own sounds, and is frequently decoyed
by this means.

“The flight of the barred owl is smooth, light, noiseless, and capable
of being greatly protracted. I have seen them take their departure
from a detached grove in a prairie, and pursue a direct course towards
the skirts of the main forest, distant more than two miles, in broad day-
light. I have thus followed them with the eye until they were lost in
the distance, and have reason to suppose that they continued their flight
until they reached the woods. Once, whilst descending the Ohio, not
far from the well known Cave-in-rock, about two hours before sunset,
in the month of November, I saw a barred ow] teased by several crows,
and chased from the tree in which it was. On leaving the tree, it
gradually rose in the air, in the manner of a hawk, and at length
attained so great a height, that our party lost sight of it. It acted, I
thought, as if it had lost itself, now and then describing small
circles, and flapping its wings quickly, then flying in zigzag lines. This
being so uncommon an occurrence, I noted it down at the time. I felt
anxious to see the bird return towards the earth, but it did not make
its appearance again. So very lightly do they fly, that I have frequently
discovered one passing over me, and only a few yards distant, by first
seeing its shadow on the ground, during clear moonlight nights, when
not the faintest rustling of its wings could be heard.

“Their power of sight during the day seems to be rather of an equi-
vocal character, as I once saw one alight on the back of a cow, which it
left so suddenly afterwards, when the cow moved, asto prove to me that
it had mistaken the object on which it had perched for something else.
At other times, I have observed that the approach of the gray squirrel
intimidated them, if one of these animals accidentally jumped on a
branch close to them, although the owl destroys a number of them dur-
ing the twilight.”

Audubon has heard it said, in addition to small animals and birds,
and a peculiar sort of frog, common in the woods of Louisiana, that the
barred owl catches fish, He never saw this performed, though it may
be as natural for it as those species which have been ascertained to feed
on them. It is often exposed for sale in the New Orleans market, and
the creoles make gumbo of it, and pronounce it palatable.

In this place may be introduced another species, mentioned by

BARRED OWL, 61

the crotch of a white oak, among thick foliage. The nest was
rudely put together, composed outwardly of sticks, intermixed
with some dry grass and leaves, and lined with smaller twigs.
At another time, in passing through the woods, I perceived
something white, on the high shaded branch of a tree, close
to the trunk, that, as I thought, looked like a cat asleep.
Unable to satisfy myself, I was induced to fire, when, to my
surprise and regret, four young owls, of this same species,
nearly full grown, came down headlong, and, fluttering for a
few moments, died at my feet. Their nest was probably not
far distant. I have also seen the eggs of this species, which
are nearly as large as those of a young pullet, but much more
globular, and perfectly white.

Bonaparte as inhabiting Arctic America, and met with by Dr Richardson
during the last northern expedition. It is the largest of the American
owls, exceeding even the size of the Virginian horned owl, and seems to
have been first noticed and described by Dr Latham, from Hudson’s Bay
specimens. Dr Richardson has more lately given the following sketch
of its manners :—“ It is by no means a rare bird in the Fur Countries,
being an inhabitant of all the woody districts lying between Lake
Superior and latitudes 67° or 68°, and between Hudson’s Bay and the
Pacific. It is common on the borders of Great Bear Lake; and there
and in the higher parallels of latitude it must pursue its prey, during
the summer months, by daylight. It keeps, however, within the woods,
and does not frequent the barren grounds, like the snowy owl, nor is
it so often met with in broad daylight as the hawk owl, but hunts
principally when the sun is low ; indeed, it is only at such times, when
the recesses of the woods are deeply shadowed, that the American hare
and the marine animals, on which this owl chiefly preys, come forth to
feed. On the 23d of May, I discovered a nest of this owl, built, on the
top of a lofty balsam poplar, of sticks, and lined with feathers. It con-
tained three young, which were covered with a whitish down. We
could get at the nest only by felling the tree, which was remarkably
thick ; and whilst this operation was going on, the two parent birds
flew in circles round the objects of their care, keeping, however, so high
in the air as to be out of gunshot: they did not appear to be dazzled
by the light. The young ones were kept alive for two months, when
they made their escape. They had the habit, common also to other owls,
of throwing themselves back, and making a loud snapping noise with
their bills, when any one entered the room in which they were kept.”
—ED.

62 BARRED OWL.

These birds sometimes seize on fowls, partridges, and young
rabbits ; mice and small game are, however, their most usual
food. The difference of size between the male and female of
this owl is extraordinary, amounting sometimes to nearly
eight inches in the length. Both scream during day, like a
hawk.

The male barred owl measures sixteen inches and a half
in length, and thirty-eight inches in extent; upper parts a
pale brown, marked with transverse spots of white; wings,
barred with alternate bands of pale brown, and darker ; head,
smooth, very large, mottled with transverse touches of dark
brown, pale brown, and white; eyes, large, deep blue, the
pupil not perceivable; face, or radiated circle of the eyes,
eray, surrounded by an outline of brown and white dots ;
bill, yellow, tinged with green; breast, barred transversely
with rows of brown and white ; belly, streaked longitudinally
with long stripes of brown, on a yellowish ground; vent,
plain yellowish white; thighs and feathered legs, the same,
slightly pointed with brown; toes, nearly covered with plum-
age; claws, dark horn colour, very sharp ; tail, rounded, and
remarkably concave below, barred with six broad bars of
brown, and as many narrow ones of white; the back and
shoulders have a cast of chestnut; at each internal angle of
the eye, is abroad spot of black ; the plumage of the radiated
circle round the eye ends in long black hairs; and the bill is
encompassed by others of a longer and more bristly kind,
These probably serve to guard the eye when any danger
approaches it in sweeping hastily through the woods; and
those usually found on flycatchers may have the same inten-
tion to fulfil; for, on the slightest touch of the point of any
of these hairs, the nictitant membrane was instantly thrown
over the eye.

The female is twenty-two inches long, and four feet in
extent ; the chief difference of colour consists in her wings
being broadly spotted with white; the shoulder being a plain
chocolate brown; the tail extends considerably beyond the

“SHORT-EARED OWL. 63

tips of the wings; the bill is much larger, and of a more
golden yellow; iris of the eye, the same as that of the male.

The different character of the feathers of this, and, I believe,
of most owls, is really surprising. Those that surround the
bill differ little from bristles ; those that surround the region
of the eyes are exceedingly open, and unwebbed ; these are
bounded by another set, generally proceeding from the ex-
ternal edge of the ear, of a most peculiar small, narrow,
velvety kind, whose fibres are so exquisitely fine, as to be
invisible to the naked eye; above, the plumage has one
general character at the surface, calculated to repel rain and
moisture ; but, towards the roots, it is of the most soft, loose,
and downy substance in nature—so much so, that it may be
touched without being felt ;.the webs of the wing-quills are
also of a delicate softness, covered with an almost impercep-
tible hair, and edged with a loose silky down, so that the
owner passes through the air without interrupting the most
profound silence. Who cannot perceive the hand of God in
all these things ! |

SHORT-EARED OWL. (Strix Brachyotos.)

PLATE XXXIII.—F1e. 3.

Turton, Syst. p. 167.—Arct. Zool. p. 229, No. 116.—Lath. i. 124.—La chouette,
ou la grand chevéche, Buff. i. Pl. enl. 438.—Peale’s Museum, No. 440.

OTUS BRACHYOTOS.—CvvIiEr.*

Short-eared Owl, Bew. Br. Birds, i. p. 48, 50.—Selby, Illust. Br. Orn. i. p. 54,
pl. 21.—Hibou brachyote, Temm. Man. i. p. 99.—La Chouette, ou le moyen
duc, 4 Huppes courtes, Cuv. Regn. Anim. i. p. 328.—Otus brachyotus, Flem.
Br. Anim. p. 56.—Strix brachyotos, Bonap. Synop. p. 37.—Strix brachyota,
North. Zool. p. 75.

Tus is another species common to both continents, being
found in Britain as far north as the Orkney Isles, where it

* This owl, as Wilson observes, is also common to both continents,
but the British history of it is comparatively unknown. The following
observations may perhaps advance some parts of it :-—

In England it bears the name of woodcock owl, from its appearance

64 SHORT-EARED OWL.

also breeds, building its nest, upon the ground, amidst the
heath ; arrives and disappears in the south parts of Hagland
with the woodcock, that is, in October and April; conse-
quently does not breed there. It is called at Hudson’s Bay,

nearly about the same time with that bird, and its reappearance again
in the spring. Very few, if any, remain during the whole season, and
they are only met with in their migrations to and from the north, their
breeding-places, similar to the appearance, for a few days, of the rin-
gousels and dotterels ; in spring, singly or in pairs ; and in the fall, in
small groups, the amount of their broods when again retiring. They do
not appear to be otherwise gregarious ; and it is only in this way that
we can account for the flock of twenty-eight in a turnip field, quoted by
our author, and the instances of five or six of these birds frequently
found roosting together, as mentioned by Mr Selby. They appear at
the same seasons (according to Temminck), and are plentiful in Holland.
It is only in the north of England, and over Scotland, that they will
rank as summer visitants. Hoy, and the other Hebrides, where they
were first discovered to breed, were considered the southern limit of
their incubation. It extends, however, much farther; and may be,
perhaps, stated as the extensive muirland ranges of Cumberland, West-
moreland, and Northumberland. Over all the Scottish muirs, it occurs
in considerable abundance ; there are few sportsmen who are unac-
quainted with it ; many are killed during the grouse season, and those
individuals which Mr Selby mentions as found on upland moors, 1 have
no doubt bred there. On the extensive moors at the Head of Dryfe (a
small rivulet in Dumfriesshire), I have, for many years past, met with
one or two pairs of these birds, and the accidental discovery of their
young first turned my attention to the range of their breeding ; for, pre-
vious to this, I also held the opinion, that they had commenced their
migration southward. The young was discovered by one of my dogs
pointing it ; and, on the following year, by searching at the proper
season, two nests were found with five eggs. They were formed upon
the ground among the heath ; the bottom of the nest scraped until the
fresh earth appeared, on which the eggs were placed, without any lining
or other accessory covering. When approaching the nest or young, the
old birds fly and hover round, uttering a shrill cry, and snapping with
their bills, They will then alight at a short distance, survey the ageres-
sor, and again resume their flight and cries. The young are barely able
to fly by the 12th of August, and appear to leave the nest some time
before they are able to rise from the ground. I have taken them, on
that great day to sportsmen, squatted on the heath like young black
game, at no great distance from each other, and always attended by the
parent birds. Last year (1831) I found them in their old haunts, to which

SHORT-EARED OWL. 65

the mouse hawk ; and is described as not flying, like other
owls, in search of prey, but sitting quiet, on a stump of a
tree, watching for mice. It is said to be found in plenty in
the woods near Chatteau Bay, on the coast of Labrador. In
the United States, it is also a bird of passage, coming to us
from the north in November, and departing in April. The
bird represented in the plate was shot in New Jersey, a few
miles below Philadelphia, in a thicket of pines. It has the
stern aspect of a keen, vigorous, and active bird; and is
reputed to be an excellent mouser. It flies frequently by day,
and particularly in dark cloudy weather, takes short flights ;
and, when sitting and looking sharply around, erects the two
slight feathers that constitute its horns, which are at such
times very noticeable ; but, otherwise, not perceivable. No
person on slightly examining this bird after being shot, would
suspect it to be furnished with horns; nor are they discovered
but by careful search, or previous observation, on the living
bird. Bewick, in his “ History of British Birds,” remarks that
this species is sometimes seen in companies,—twenty-eight of
them having been once counted in a turnip field in November.

Length, fifteen inches; extent, three feet four inches ;
general colour above, dark brown, the feathers broadly skirted
with pale yellowish brown; bill, large, black; irides, rich

they appear to return very regularly; and the female, with a young
bird, was procured; the young could only fly for sixty or seventy yards.!

In form, this species will bear the same analogy to those furnished
with horns which the snowy owl bears to the earless birds, The name
of hawk owl implies more activity and boldness, and a different make ;
and we find the head small, the body more slender, the wings and tail
powerful. They hunt regularly by day, and will sometimes soar to a
great height. They feed on small birds, and destroy young game, as
well as mice and moles,

It seems to have a pretty extensive geographical range. Pennant
mentions it as inhabiting the Falkland Isles. It extends to Siberia ;
and I have received it from the neighbourhood of Canton, in China.— Ep.

1 A specimen was shot in December (1831) on the same ground, and one was seen
when drawing a whin covert for a fox, on 31st January 1832. I believe some
reside during the whole year.—ED,

ViONi LY, E

66 LITTLE OWL.

golden yellow, placed in a bed of deep black, which radiates
outwards all around, except towards the bill, where the
plumage is whitish ; ears, bordered with a semi-circular line
of black, and tawny yellow dots; tail, rounded, longer than
usual with owls, crossed with five bands of dark brown, and
as many of yellow ochre—some of the latter have central spots

of dark brown, the whole tipt with white quills also banded

with dark brown and yellow ochre; breast and belly streaked
with dark brown, on a ground of yellowish ; legs, thighs, and
vent, plain dull yellow ; tips of the three first quill-feathers,
black ; legs, clothed to the claws, which are black, curved to
about the quarter of a circle, and exceedingly sharp.

The female I have never seen ; but she is said to be some- ~

what larger, and much darker, and the spots on the breast
larger, and more numerous.*

LITTLE OWL. § (Strix passerina.)
PLATE XXXIV.—Fic. 1.

Arct. Zool. 236, No. 126.—Turton, Syst. 172.—Peale’s Museum, No. 522.
STRIX ACADICA.—GmMELin.{
Chouette chevéchette, Temm. Man. i. p. 96.—Strix acadica, Bonap. Synop. p. 38.

—Monog. sinot strigiinauric. osservy. sulla, 2d edit. del. Reg. Anim. Cuv. p. 52.
—Strix acadica, American Sparrow Owl, North. Zool. p. 97.

Tats is one of the least of its whole genus; but, like
many other little folks, makes up, in neatness of general form

* The female is nearly of the same size with the male ; the colours
are all of a browned tinge, the markings more clouded and indistinct ;
the white of the lower parts, and under the wings, is less pure, and the
belly and vent are more thickly dashed with black streaks; the ears
are nearly of the same length with the other feathers, but can be easily
distinguished. She is always foremost to attack any intruder on her
nest or young.— Ep.

+ There is so much alliance between many of the small owls, that it
is a matter of surprise more species have not been confounded. Wilson
appears to have been mistaken, or to have confounded the name at least
of the little owl; and on the authority of Temminck and Bonaparte, we

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LITTLE OWE. 67

and appearance, for deficiency of size, and is, perhaps, the most
shapely of all our owls. Nor are the colours and markings
of its plumage inferior in simplicity and effect to most others.
Tt also possesses an eye fully equal in spirit and brilliancy to
the best of them.

This species is a general and constant inhabitant of the
middle and northern states ; but is found most numerous in
the neighbourhood of the sea-shore, and among woods and
swamps of pine trees. It rarely rambles much during day ;
but, if disturbed, flies a short way, and again takes shelter
from the light: at the approach of twilight it is all life and
activity, being a noted and dexterous mouse catcher. It is
found as far north as Nova Scotia, and even Hudson’s Bay ;
is frequent in Russia; builds its nest generally in pines, half
way up the tree, and lays two eggs, which, like those of the

have given it as above, that of acadica. It is anative of both continents,
but does not yet appear to have reached the British shores. According
to Temminck, it is found in the deep German forests, though rarely, but
is plentiful in Livonia. Bonaparte hints at the probability of the S¢
passerina being yet discovered in America, which seems very likely, con-
sidering the similarity of its Huropean haunts. The last Overland Arctic
Expedition met with this and another allied species, St Tengmalmi,
which will rank as an addition to the ornithology of that continent. Dr
Richardson has the following observations regarding the latter: “ When
it accidentally wanders abroad in the day, it is so much dazzled by the
light of the sun as to become stupid, and it may be easily caught by the
hand. Its cry in the night is a single melancholy note, repeated at in-
tervals of a minute or two, and it is one of the superstitious practices of
the natives to whistle when they hear it. If the bird is silent when thus
challenged, the speedy death of the inquirer is thus augured ; hence its
Cree appellation of Death Bird.

On the banks of the Sascatchewan it is so common, that its voice is
heard almost every night by the traveller, wherever he selects his
bivouac.

Both the latter species extend over the north of Europe, and are found
occasionally in Britain, The specimens which I have seen in confine-
ment seem to sleep or dose away the morning and forenoon, but are
remarkably active when roused, and move about with great agility. Both
are often exposed for sale, with other birds, in the Dutch and Belgian
markets.— Ep,

68 LITTLE OWL.

rest of its genus, are white. The melancholy and gloomy
umbrage of those solitary evergreens forms its favourite
haunts, where it sits dozing and slumbering all day lulled by
the roar of the neighbouring ocean.

The little owl is seven inches and a half long, and eighteen
inches in extent ; the upper parts are a plain brown olive,
the scapulars and some of the greater and lesser coverts
being spotted with white ; the first five primaries are crossed
obliquely with five bars of white ; tail, rounded, rather darker
than the body, crossed with two rows of white spots, and
tipt with white; whole interior vanes of the wings, spotted
with the same ; auriculars, yellowish brown ; crown, upper -
part of the neck, and circle surrounding the ears, beautifully
marked with numerous points of white on an olive brown
ground ; front, pure white, ending in long blackish hairs ; at
the internal angle of the eyes, a broad spot of black radiating
outwards ; irides, pale yellow ; bill, a blackish horn colour ;
lower parts, streaked with yellow ochre and reddish bay ;
thighs, and feathered legs, pale buff; toes, covered to the
claws, which are black, large, and sharp-pointed.

The bird, from which the foregoing figure and description
were taken, was shot on the sea-shore, near Great Ege Harbour,
in New Jersey, in the month of November, and, on dissection,
was found to be a female. Turton describes a species called
the white fronted owl (S. albifrons,) which, in everything
except the size, agrees with this bird, and has, very probably,
been taken from a young male, which is sometimes found
considerably less than the female.

SEA-SIDE FINCH. 69

SEA-SIDE FINCH. (fringilla maritima.)
PLATE XXXIV. Fic. 2.

AMMODRAMUS MARITIMUS.—SWAINSON.*

Ammodramus, Swain. Zool. Journ. No. 11. p. 348.—Fringilla maritima, Bonap.
Synop. p. 110.—The Sea-side Finch, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 470, pl. 93, male and
female.

Or this bird I can find no description. It inhabits the low
rush-covered sea islands along our Atlantic coast, where I first
found it; keeping almost continually within the boundaries
of tide water, except when long and violent east or north-
easterly storms, with high tides, compel it to seek the shore.
On these occasions it courses along the margin, and among
the holes and interstices of the weeds and sea-wrack, with a
rapidity equalled only by the nimblest of our sandpipers, and
very much in their manner. At these times also it roosts on
the ground, and runs about after dusk.

* The sea-side and short-tailed finches constitute the genus Ammo-
dramus of Swainson. The former was discovered by Wilson; the latter
is the sharp-tailed oriole of Latham. They are both peculiar to North
America, and are nearly confined to the salt marshes on the coast. They
are very curious in their structure, combining, as remarked by our
author, properties for either running or climbing. The tail is truly
scansorial ; the feet partly so ; the hallux formed for running, having
the claw elongated, and of a flat bend, as among the larks.

Mr Audubon has figured this bird with the nest. He says it is placed
so near the ground, that one might suppose it sunk into it, although this
is not actually the case. It is composed externally of coarse grass, and
is lined with finer kinds, but exhibits little regularity. The eggs are
from four to six, elongated, grayish white, freckled with brown all over.
They build in elevated shrubby places, where many nests may be found
in the space of an acre. When the young are grown, they betake them-
selves to the ditches and sluices which intersect the salt marshes, and
find abundant food. They enter the larger holes of crabs, and every
crack and crevice of the drying mud. In this they much resemble the
wrens, who enjoy entering and prying into every chink or opening of
their own haunts. Mr Audubon had some dressed in a pie, but found
them quite unpalatable. —Eb.

70 SEA-SIDE FINCH.

This species derives its whole subsistence from the sea. I
examined a great number of individuals by dissection, and
found their stomachs universally filled with fragments of
shrimps, minute shell-fish, and broken limbs of small sea
crabs. Its flesh, also, as was to be expected, tasted of fish, or
was what is usually termed sedgy. Amidst the recesses of
these wet sea marshes, it seeks the rankest growth of grass
and sea weed, and climbs along the stalks of the rushes with
as much dexterity as it runs along the ground, which is rather
a singular circumstance, most of our climbers being rather
awkward at running.

The sea-side finch is six inches and a quarter long, and
eight and a quarter in extent; chin, pure white, bordered
on each side by a stripe of dark ash, proceeding from each
base of the lower mandible; above that is another slight
streak of white; from the nostril over the eye extends another
streak, which immediately over the lores is rich yellow, bor-
dered above with white, and ending in yellow olive; crown,
brownish olive, divided laterally by a stripe of slate blue, or
fine light ash; breast, ash, streaked with buff; belly, white ;
vent, buff coloured, and streaked with black ; upper parts of
the back, wings, and tail, a yellowish brown olive, intermixed
with very pale blue; greater and lesser coverts, tipt with dull
white ; edge of the bend of the wing, rich yellow ; primaries
edged with the same immediately below their coverts; tail,
cuneiform, olive brown, centered with black ; bill, dusky
above, pale blue below, longer than is usual with finches ;
legs and feet, a pale bluish white; irides, hazel. Male and
female nearly alike in colour.

SHARP-TAILED FINCH, Fs

SHARP-TAILED FINCH. (Fringilla caudacuta.)
PLATE XXXIV.—Fic. 3.
Sharp-tailed Oriole, Lath. Gen. Synop. ii. p. 448. pl. 17.—
Peale's Museum, No. 6442.

AMMODRAMUS CAUDACUTUS.—SWAINsoON.*
Ammodramus, Swain. Zool. Journ. No. ii. p. 348.—Fringilla caudacuta, Bonap.
Synop. p. 110.

A sirp of this denomination is described by Turton, Syst. p.
562, but which by no means agrees with the present. This,
however, may be the fault of the describer, as it is said to be
a bird of Georgia: unwilling, therefore, to multiply names
unnecessarily, I have adopted his appellation. In some
future part of the work I shall settle this matter with more

precision.

This new (as I apprehend it) and beautiful species is an
associate of the former, inhabits the same places, lives on the
same food; and resembles it so much in manners, that but
for their dissimilarity in some essential particulars, I would
be disposed to consider them as the same in a different state
of plumage. They are much less numerous than the preced-
ing, and do not run with equal celerity.

The sharp-tailed finch is five inches and a quarter long, and
seven inches and a quarter in extent ; bill, dusky ; auriculars,
ash ; from the bill over the eye, and also below it, run two
broad stripes of brownish orange ; chin, whitish; breast, pale
buff, marked with small pointed spots of black ; belly, white ;
vent, reddish buff; from the base of the upper mandible a
broad stripe of pale ash runs along the crown and hind head,

* Mr Audubon has figured a bird, very closely allied in plumage,
under the title of Ammodramus Henslowii, and, in the letter-press, has
described it as Henslow’s bunting, Emberiza Henslowit. It will evi-
dently come under the first genus, and if new and distinct, will form a
third North American species. It is named after Professor Henslow
of Cambridge, and was obtained near Cincinnati. There is no account
of its history and habits,—Eb,

72 _ SAVANNAH FINCH.

bordered on each side by one of blackish brown ; back, a yel-

lowish brown olive, some of the feathers curiously edged with

semicircles of white; sides under the wings buff, spotted with

black ; wing-coverts and tertials black, broadly edged with

light reddish buff; tail, cuneiform, short; all the feathers -
sharp pointed ; legs, a yellow clay colour ; irides, hazel.

I examined many of these birds, and found but little dif-
ference in the colour and markings of their plumage.

Since writing the above, I have become convinced that the
bird described by Mr Latham, under the name of sharp-tailed
oriole, is the present species. Latham states, that his descrip-
tion and figure were taken from a specimen deposited in Mrs
Blackburn’s collection, and that it came from New York..

SAVANNAH FINCH. (fringilla Savanna.)
PLATE XXXIV.—Fic. 4. Maz.*

Peale’s Museum, No. 6583.
ZONOTRICHIA? SAVANNA.—JARDINE.

Fringilla Savanna, Bonap. Synop. p. 108.

T's delicately marked sparrow has been already taken notice
of, in a preceding part of this work, where a figure of the
female was introduced. ‘The present figure was drawn from
a very beautiful male, and is a faithful representation of the
original.

The length is five and a half inches; extent, eight anda
half; bill, pale brown ; eyebrows, Naples yellow; breast and
whole lower parts, pure white, the former marked with small
pointed spots of brown; upper parts, a pale whitish drab,
mottled with reddish brown; wing-coverts, edged and tipt
with white ; tertials, black, edged with white and bay ; legs, ©
pale clay ; ear-feathers, tinged with Naples yellow. The
female and young males are less, and much darker.

* The female is described in Vol. I. p. 342.

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WINTER FALCON. 73

This is, probably, the most timid of all our sparrows. In
winter it frequents the sea-shores ; but, as spring approaches,
migrates to the interior, as I have lately discovered, building
its nest in the grass nearly in the same form, though with
fewer materials, as that of the bay-winged bunting. On the
23d of May, I found one of these at the root of a clump of
rushes in a grass field, with three young, nearly ready to fly.
The female counterfeited lameness, spreading her wings and
tail, and using many affectionate stratagems to allure me from
the place. The eggs I have never seen.

WINTER FALCON. (Falco hyemalis.)

PLATE XXXV.—Fic. 1.

Turton, Syst. p. 156.—Arct. Zool. p. 209, No. 107.—Peale’s Museum, No. 272
and 273.

ASTUR? HY EMALIS.—JaRvDINE.*
The Winter Hawk, Aud. pl. 71; Orn. Biog. p. 164.

Tars elegant and spirited hawk is represented in the plate of
one-half its natural size; the other two figures are reduced in
the same proportion. He visits us from the north early in
November, and leaves us late in March.

* This species, with the Falco lineatus of our author, have been the
subject of dispute, as to their identity. The Prince of Musignano thinks
they are the same, but in different states of plumage, according to age.
Audubon says they are decidedly distinct, and has given plates of each,
with an account of the differences he observed in their habits. I have
transcribed his observations at some length, that these distinctions may
be seen and judged of individually. I am inclined to consider them
distinct, and cannot reconcile the great difference of habit to birds of
one species, particularly in the same country, With regard to their
station, again, they present a most interesting form. They are inter-
mediate, as it were, between Buteo, Astur, and Circus. The colours are
those of Buteo and Circus ; while the form and active habits of the one
is that of Astur; those of the winter hawk more of Circus; the wings
are short for a true Buzzard, and possess the proportional length of the
feathers of the goshawks. The feet of both are decidedly Astur, run-
ning perhaps into the more slender form of Circus; and from the pre-

74. WINTER FALCON.

This is a dexterous frog catcher ; who, that he may pursue
his profession with full effect, takes up his winter residence

ponderance of their form to the goshawks, I have chosen that as their
present appellation, but certainly with a query.

I have transcribed the habits of both species as given by Audubon,
that the comparison may be the more easy, and at the description of F.
lineatus have referred to this page :—

“The winter hawk is not a constant resident in the United States,
but merely visits them, making its first appearance there at the approach
of winter. The flight is smooth and light, although greatly protracted,
when necessity requires it to be so. It sails, at times, at a considerable
elevation ; and, notwithstanding the comparative shortness of its wings,
performs this kind of motion with grace, and in circles of more than
ordinary diameter. It is a remarkably silent bird, often spending the
greater part of the day without uttering its notes more than once or
twice, which it does just before it alights, to watch with great patience
and perseverance for the appearance of its prey. Its haunts are the
extensive meadows and marshes which occur along our rivers. There
it pounces with a rapid motion on the frogs, which it either devours on
the spot, or carries to the perch, or the top of the hay-stack, on which
it previously stood. It generally rests at night on the ground, among
the tall sedges of the marshes, I have never seen this hawk in pursuit
of any other birds than those of its own species, each individual chasing
the others from the district which it had selected for itself. The cry of the
winter hawk is clear and prolonged, and resembles the syllables kay-o.” .

“The red-shouldered hawk, or, as I would prefer calling it, the red-
breasted hawk, although dispersed over the greater part of the United
States, is rarely observed in the middle districts, where, on the contrary,
the winter falcon usually makes its appearance from the north at the
approach of every autumn, and is of more common occurrence. This
bird is one of the most noisy of its genus, during spring especially,
when it would be difficult to approach the skirts of woods bordering a
large plantation, without hearing its discordant shrill notes, ha-hee, ka-
hee, as it is seen sailing in rapid circles at a very great elevation. Its
ordinary flight iseven and protracted. It is a more general inhabitant of
the woods than most of our other species, particularly during the summer.

‘“The interior of woods seems, as I have said, the fittest haunts for
the red-shouldered hawk. He sails through them a few yards above
the ground, and suddenly alights on the low branch of a tree, or the
top of a dead stump, from which he silently watches in an erect posture
for the appearance of squirrels, upon which he pounces directly, and
kills them in an instant, afterwards devouring them on the ground.

“ At the approach of spring, this species begins to pair, and its flight
is accompanied with many circlings and zigzag motions, during which

WINTER FALCON. 75

almost entirely among our meadows and marshes. He some-
times stuffs himself so enormously with these reptiles, that the
prominency of his craw makes a large bunch, and he appears
to fly with difficulty. I have taken the broken fragments and
whole carcasses of ten frogs, of different dimensions, from
the crop of a single individual. Of his genius and other
exploits, I am unable to say much. He appears to be a
fearless and active bird, silent, and not very shy. One which
I kept for some time, and which was slightly wounded, dis-
dained all attempts made to reconcile him to confinement ;
and would not suffer a person to approach without being
highly irritated, throwing himself backward, and striking,
with expanded talons, with great fury. Though shorter
winged than some of his tribe, yet I have no doubt but, with
proper care, he might be trained to strike nobler game, in a
bold style, and with great effect. But the education of hawks in
this country may well be postponed for a time, until fewer im-
provements remain to be made in that of the human subject.
Length of the winter hawk, twenty inches ; extent, forty-one
inches, or nearly three feet six inches ; cere and legs, yellow,
the latter long, and feathered for an inch below the knee ;
bill, bluish black, small, furnished with a tooth in the upper
mandible ; eye, bright amber, cartilage over the eye, very
prominent, and of a dull green; head, sides of the neck, and

it emits its shrill cries. The top of a tall tree seems to be preferred,
as I have found its nest most commonly placed there, not far from the
edges of woods bordering plantations ; it is seated in the forks of a large
branch, towards its extremity, and is as bulky as that of the common
crow ; it is formed externally of dry sticks and Spanish moss, and is
lined with withered grass and fibrous roots of different sorts, arranged
in a circular manner. The eggs are generally four, sometimes five, of
a broad oval form, granulated all over, pale blue, faintly blotched with
brownish red at the smaller end.”

From the above account it is seen that the red-shouldered hawk has
much more the habits of an Astur than the other, which seems to lean
towards the Circi; the breeding places of the latter are, however, not
mentioned by any writer. The different states of plumage in these
birds are deserving of farther research,—Ep.

76 MAGPIE.

throat, dark brown, streaked with white; lesser coverts with
a strong glow of ferruginous ; secondaries, pale brown, indis-
tinctly barred with darker ; primaries, brownish orange,
spotted with black, wholly black at the tips; tail long,
slightly rounded, barred alternately with dark and pale
brown ; inner vanes, white; exterior feathers, brownish
orange; wings, when closed, reach rather beyond the middle
of the tail; tail-coverts, white, marked with heart-shaped
spots of brown ; breast and belly, white, with numerous long
drops of brown, the shafts blackish ; femoral feathers, large,
pale yellow ochre, marked with numerous minute streaks of
pale brown ; claws, black. The legs of this bird are repre-
sented by different authors as slender ; but I saw no appear-
ance of this in those I examined.

The female is considerably darker above, and about two
inches longer.

MAGPIE. (Corvus pica.)
PLATE XXXV.—Fic. 2.

Arct. Zool. No. 136.—Lath. i. 392.—Buff. iii. 85.—Peale’s Museum, No. 1333.
PICA CAUDATA.—Ray.*

Tuis bird is much better known in Europe than in this
country, where it has not been long discovered; although it
is now found to inhabit a wide extent of territory, and in

* The common magpie of Europe is typical of that section among the
Corvide, to which the name of Pica has been given. They retain the
form of the bill as in Corvus; their whole members are weaker ; the
feathers on the rump are more lax and puffy, and the tail is always very
lengthened.

The Appendix to Captain Franklin’s narrative, by Mr Sabine, first
gave rise to the suspicion that two very nearly allied species of magpie were
found in the northern parts of America ; and that gentleman has accord-
ingly described the specimens killed at Cumberland House, during the
first Arctic expedition, under the name of Corvus Hudsonicus—of which
the following are the principal distinctions—and he seems to consider
that bird more particularly confined to the more northern parts of the

MAGPIE. el

great numbers. The drawing was taken from a very beautiful
specimen, sent from the Mandan nation, on the Missouri, to
Mr Jefferson, and by that gentleman presented to Mr Peale
of this city, in whose museum it lived for several months, and
where I had an opportunity of examining it. On carefully
comparing it with the European magpie in the same collection,
no material difference could be perceived. The figure on the
plate is reduced to exactly half the size of life.

This bird unites in its character courage and cunning,
turbulency and rapacity. Not inelegantly formed, and dis-
tinguished by gay as well as splendid plumage, he has long
been noted in those countries where he commonly resides, and
his habits and manners are there familiarly known. He is

continent, while the other was met with in the United States and the
Missouri country.

“The Hudson’s Bay magpie is of less size in all its parts than the
common magpie, except in its tail, which exceeds that of its congener in
length ; but the most remarkable and obvious difference is, in a loose
tuft of grayish and white feathers on the back. Length of the body,
exclusive of the tail, seven inches, that of the tail from eleven to twelve
inches, that of the common being from nine to ten.”

In the “ Northern Zoology,” Corvus Hudsonicus is quotedas a synonym,
The authors remark, “ This bird, so common in Europe, is equally plen-
tiful in the interior prairie lands of America ; but it is singular, that,
though it abounds on the shores of Sweden, and other maritime parts
of the Old World, it is very rare on the Alantic, eastward of the Missis-
sippi, or Lake Winipeg.” “The manners of the American bird are pre-
cisely what we have been accustomed tu observe in the English one. On
comparing its eggs with those of the European bird, they were found to
be longer and narrower; and though the colours are the same, the
blotches are larger and more diffused.”

The distinctions mentioned by Mr Sabine seem very trivial ; indeed
they may be confined entirely toa less size. The grayish tuft of feathers
on the rump is the same in the common magpie of Britain. I have had
an opportunity of examining only one North American specimen, which
is certainly smaller, but in no other respect different. The authors of
the “ Northern Zoology” mention their having compared Arctic specimens
with one from the interior of China, and they found no difference. The
geosraphical distribution may therefore extend toa greater range than
was supposed,—Europe, China, and America.—Ep.

78 MAGPIE.

particularly pernicious to plantations of young oaks, tearing
up the acorns; and also to birds, destroying great numbers
of their eggs and young, even young chickens, partridges,
grouse and pheasants. It is perhaps on this last account that
the whole vengeance of the game laws has lately been let loose
upon him in some parts of Britain, as appears, by accounts
from that quarter, where premiums, it is said, are offered for
his head, as an arch poacher ; and penalties inflicted on all
those who permit him to breed on their premises. Under
the lash of such rigorous persecution, a few years will probably
exterminate the whole tribe from the island. He is also de-
structive to gardens and orchards ; is noisy and restless, almost
constantly flying from place to place ; alights on the backs of
the cattle, to rid them of the larve that fester in the skin ; is
content with carrion when nothing better offers ; eats various
kinds of vegetables, and devours greedily grain, worms, and
insects of almost every description. When domesticated, he
is easily taught to imitate the human voice, and to articulate
words pretty distinctly; has all the pilfering habits of his
tribe, fillmg every chink, nook, and crevice, with whatever he
can carry off; is subject to the epilepsy, or some similar dis-
order ; and is, on the whole, a crafty, restless, and noisy bird.

He generally selects a tall tree, adjoining the farm house,
for his nest, which is placed among the highest branches ;
this is large, composed outwardly of sticks, roots, turf, and
dry weeds, and well lined with wool, cow hair, and feathers ;
the whole is surrounded, roofed, and barricaded with thorns,
leaving only anarrow entrance. Theeggs are usually five of a
greenish colour, marked with numerous black or dusky spots.
In the northern parts of Europe, he migrates at the com-
mencement of winter.

In this country, the magpie was first taken notice of at the
factories, or trading houses, on Hudson’s Bay, where the
Indians used sometimes to bring it in, and gave it the name
of heart-bird,—for what reason is uncertain. It appears, how-
ever, to be rather rare in that quarter. These circumstances

MAGPIE. 79

are taken notice of by Mr Pennant and other British
naturalists.

In 1804, an exploring party under the command of Captains
Lewis and Clark, on their route to the Pacific Ocean across
the continent, first met with the magpie somewhere near tlie
great bend of the Missouri, and found that the number of
these birds increased as they advanced. Here also the blue
jay disappeared ; as if the territorial boundaries and jurisdic-
tion of these two noisy and voracious families of the same tribe
had been mutually agreed on, and distinctly settled. But
the magpie was found to be far more daring than the jay,
dashing into their very tents, and carrying off the meat from
the dishes. One of the hunters who accompanied the expedi-
tion informed me, that they frequently attended him while he
was engaged in skinning and cleaning the carcass of the deer,
bear, or buffalo he had killed, often seizing the meat that
hung within a foot or two of his head. On the shores of the
Koos-koos-ke river, on the west side of the great range of
Rocky Mountains, they were found to be equally numerous.

It is highly probable that those vast plains, or prairies,
abounding with game and cattle, frequently killed for the
mere hides, tallow, or even marrow bones, may be one great
inducement for the residency of these birds, so fond of flesh
and carrion. Even the rigorous severity of winter in the high
regions along the head waters of Rio du Nord, the Arkansaw,
and Red River, seems insufficient to force them from those
favourite haunts ; though it appears to increase their natural
voracity to a very uncommon degree. Colonel Pike relates,
that in the month of December, in the neighbourhood of the
North Mountain, N. lat. 41° W. long. 34°, Reaumut’s ther-
mometer standing at 17° below O, these birds were seen in
great numbers. “Our horses,” says he, ‘‘were obliged to
scrape the snow away to obtain their miserable pittance; and,
to increase their misfortunes, the poor animals were attacked
by the magpies, who, attracted by the scent of their sore
backs, alighted on them, and, in defiance of their wincing and

80 CROW.

kicking, picked many places quite raw; the difficulty of pro-
curing food rendering those birds so bold, as to alight on our
men’s arms, and eat meat out of their hand.” *

The magpie is eighteen inches in length ; the head, neck,
upper part of the breast and back, are a deep velvety black ;
primaries, brownish black, streaked along their inner vanes
with white; secondaries, rich purplish blue; greater coverts,
green blue; scapulars, lower part of the breast and belly,
white; thighs and vent, black; tail, long ; the two exterior
feathers scarcely half the length of the longest, the others
increasing to the two middle ones, which taper towards their
extremities. The colour of this part of the plumage is very
splendid, being glossy green, dashed with blue and bright
purple ; this last colour bounds the green ; nostrils, covered
with a thick tuft of recumbent hairs, as are also the sides of
the mouth; bill, legs, and feet, glossy black. The female
differs only in the less brillianey of her plumage.

CROW. (Corvus corone.t)
PLATE XXXV.—Fic. 3.

Peale’s Museum, No. 1246.

CORVUS CORONE ?—LINNEUvs.

Tuts is perhaps the most generally known, and least beloved,
of all our land birds; having neither melody of song, nor

* Pike’s Journal, p. 170.

+ “The voice of this bird is so remarkably different from that of the
Corone of Europe, that I was at first led to believe it a distinct species ;
but the most scrupulous examination and comparison of European and
American specimens proved them to be the same,” are the words of
Bonaparte in his Nomenclature to Wilson ; and Corvus corone is quoted,
as the name and synonym to this species in the “ Northern Zoology,”
from a male killed on the plains of the Saskatchewan.

This is one of the birds I have yet been unable to obtain for compari-
son with European specimens, and it may seem presumption to differ
from the above authorities, without ever having seen the bird in question.

CROW. 8I

beauty of plumage, nor excellence of flesh, nor civility of
manners, to recommend him; on the contrary, he is branded
as a thief and a plunderer—a kind of black-coated vagabond,
who hovers over the fields of the industrious, fattening on
their labours, and, by his voracity, often blasting their expec-
tations. Hated as he is by the farmer, watched and persecuted
by almost every bearer of a gun, who all triumph in his
destruction, had not Heaven bestowed on him intelligence
and sagacity far beyond common, there is reason to. believe
that the whole tribe (in these parts at least.) would long ago
have ceased to exist.

The crow is a constant attendant on agriculture, and a
general inhabitant of the cultivated parts of North America.
Tn the interior of the forest he is more rare, unless during the
season of breeding. He is particularly attached to low flat
corn countries, lying in the neighbourhood of the sea, or of
large rivers; and more numerous in the northern than
southern states, where vultures abound, with whom the crows
are unable to contend. A strong antipathy, it is also said,
prevails between the crow and the raven, insomuch, that
where the latter is numerous, the former rarely resides. Many
of the first settlers of the Gennesee country have informed
me, that, for a long time, ravens were numerous with them,
but no crows, and even now the latter are seldom observed in
that country. In travelling from Nashville to Natchez, a

I cannot, nevertheless, reconcile Wilson’s account of the difference of
habits and cry to those of Britain and Europe. It seems a species more
intermediate between the common rook, C. frugilequs, and the C. corone ;
their gregarious habits, and feeding so much on grain, are quite at vari-
ance with the carrion crow ; Wilson’s account of the crow roost on the
Delaware is so different, that, as far as habit: is concerned, it is impos-
sible to refer them to one ; and though some allowance might be made
for the diversity of habit in the two countries, I do not see in what
manner the cry of the bird should be so distinctly affected as to be
remarked by nearly all authors who have mentioned them.

Burns’s line in the “ Cottar’s Saturday Night ” alludes certainly to the

common rook, and he, I am sure, knew the difference between a crow
and a corbie.-—Ep.
VOL. II. F

82 CROW.

distance of four hundred and seventy miles, I saw few or no
crows, but ravens frequently, and vultures in great numbers.

The usual breeding time of the crow, in Pennsylvania, is
in March, April, and May, during which season they are
dispersed over the woods in pairs, and roost in the neighbour-
hood of the tree they have selected for their nest. About the
middle of March they begin to build, generally choosing a
high tree; though I have also known them prefer a middle-
sized cedar. One of their nests, now before me, is formed
externally of sticks, wet moss, thin bark, mixed with mossy
earth, and lined with large quantities of horse hair, to the
amount of more than half a pound, some cow hair, and some
wool, forming a very soft and elastic bed. The eggs are
four, of a pale green colour, marked witl numerous specks
and blotches of olive.

During this interesting season, the male is extremely
watchful, making frequent excursions of half a mile or so in
circuit, to reconnoitre ; and the instant he observes a person
approaching, he gives the alarm, when both male and female
retire to a distance till the intruder has gone past. He also
regularly carries food to his mate, while she is sitting ; occa-
sionally relieves her; and, when she returns, again resigns
up his post. At this time, also, as well as until the young
are able to fly, they preserve uncommon silence, that their
retreat may not be suspected.

It is in the month of May, and until the middle of June,
that the crow is most destructive to the corn fields, digging
up the newly planted grains of maize, pulling up by the roots
those that have begun to vegetate, and thus frequently oblig-
ing the farmer to replant, or lose the benefit of the soil; and
this sometimes twice, and even three times, occasioning a
considerable additional expense, and inequality of harvest.
No mercy is now shown him. The myriads of worms, moles,
mice, caterpillars, grubs, and beetles, which he has destroyed,
are altogether overlooked on these occasions. Detected in
robbing the hens’ nests, pulling up the corn, and killing the —

CROW, 83

young chickens, he is considered as an outlaw, and sentenced
to destruction. But the great difficulty is, how to put this
sentence in execution. In vain the gunner skulks along the
hedges and fences ; his faithful sentinels planted on some
commanding point, raise the alarm, and disappoint vengeance
of its object. The coast again clear, he returns once more in
silence, to finish the repast he had begun. Sometimes he
approaches the farm house by stealth, in search of young
chickens, which he is in the habit of snatching off, when he
can elude the vigilance of the mother hen, who often proves
too formidable for him. <A few days ago, a crow was observed
eagerly attempting to seize some young chickens in an orchard,
near the room where I write; but these clustering close round
the hen, she resolutely defended them, drove the crow into
an apple tree, whither she instantly pursued him with such
spirit and intrepidity, that he was glad to make a speedy
retreat, and abandon his design.

The crow himself sometimes falls a prey to the superior
strength and rapacity of the great owl, whose weapons of
offence are by far the more formidable of the two.*

* “A few years ago,” says an obliging correspondent, “ I resided on
the banks of the Hudson, about seven miles from the city of New York.
Not far from the place of my residence was a pretty thick wood or
swamp, in which great numbers. of crows, who used to cross the river
from the opposite shore, were accustomed to roost. Returning home-
ward one afternoon, from a shooting excursion, I had occasion to pass
through this swamp. It was near sunset, and troops of crows were fly-
ing in all directions over my head. While engaged in observing their
flight, and endeavouring to select from among them an object to shoot
at, my ears were suddenly assailed by the distressful cries of a crow,
who was evidently struggling under the talons of a merciless and
rapacious enemy, I hastened to the spot whence the sounds proceeded,
and, to my great surprise, found a crow lying on the ground, just ex-
piring, and seated upon the body of the yet warm and bleeding quarry,
a large brown owl, who was beginning to make a meal of the unfortunate
robber of corn fields. Perceiving my approach, he forsook his prey
with evident reluctance, and flew into a tree at a little distance, where
he sat watching all my movements, alternately regarding, with longing
eyes, the victim he had been forced to leave, and darting at me no very

84 CROW.

Towards the close of summer, the parent crows, with their
new families, forsaking their solitary lodgings, collect together,
as if by previous agreement, when evening approaches. About

an hour before sunset, they are first observed, flying, some-

what in Indian file, in one direction, at a short height above
the tops of the trees, silent and steady, keeping the general
curvature of the ground, continuing to pass sometimes. till
after sunset, so that the whole line of march would extend for
many miles. This circumstance, so familiar and picturesque,
has not been overlooked by the poets, in their descriptions of
a rural evening. Burns, in a single line, has finely sketched
it —
“The blackening trains of crows to their repose.”

The most noted crow-roost with which I am acquainted is
near Newcastle, on an island in the Delaware. It is there
known by the name of the Pea Patch, and is a low, flat,
alluvial spot, of a few acres, elevated but a little above high
water mark, and covered with a thick growth of reeds. This

friendly looks, that seemed to reproach me for having deprived him of
his expected regale. I confess that the scene before me was altogether
novel and surprising. I am but little conversant with natural history ;
but I had always understood, that the depredations of the owl were con-
fined to the smaller birds and animals of the lesser kind, such as mice, -
young rabbits, &c., and that he obtained his prey rather by fraud and
stratagem, than by open rapacity and violence. I was the more con-
firmed in this belief, from the recollection of a passage in Macbeth,
which now forcibly recurred to my memory.—The courtiers of King
Duncan are recounting to each other the various prodigies that pre-
ceded his death, and one of them relates to his wondering auditors, that

* An eagle, towering in his pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d.’

But to resume my relation: That the owl was the murderer of the
unfortunate crow, there could be no doubf, No other bird of prey was
in sight ; I had not fired my gun since I entered the wood ; nor heard
any one else shoot : besides, the unequivocal situation in which I found
the parties would have been sufficient before any ‘twelve good men and
true,’ or a jury of crows, to have convicted him of his guilt. It is proper
to add, that I avenged the death of the hapless crow by a well-aimed
shot at the felonious robber, that extended him breathless on the ground.”

CROW. 8s

appears to be the grand rendezvous, or head-quarters, of the
greater part of the crows within forty or fifty miles of the
spot. It is entirely destitute of trees, the crows alighting and
nestling among the reeds, which by these means are broken
down and matted together. The noise created by those mul-
titudes, both in their evening assembly and reascension in the
morning, and the depredations they commit in the immediate
neighbourhood of this great resort, are almost incredible.
Whole fields of corn are sometimes laid waste by thousands
alighting on it at once, with appetites whetted by the fast of
the preceding night ; and the utmost vigilance is unavailing
to prevent, at least, a partial destruction of this their favourite
grain. Like the stragglers of an immense, undisciplined,
and rapacious army, they spread themselves over the fields,
to plunder and destroy wherever they alight. It is here that
the character of the crow is universally execrated ; and to say
to the man who has lost his crop of corn by these birds, that
crows are exceedingly useful for destroying vermin, would be as
consolatory as to tell him who had just lost his house and furni-
ture by the flames, that fires are excellent for destroying bugs.

The strong attachment of the crows to this spot may be
illustrated by the following circumstance: Some years ago, a
sudden and violent north-east storm came on during the night,
and the tide, rising to an uncommon height, inundated the
whole island. ‘The darkness of the night, the suddenness and
violence of the storm, and the incessant torrents of rain that
fell, it is supposed, so intimidated the crows, that they did
not attempt to escape, and almost all perished. ‘Thousands
of them were next day seen floating in the river; and the
wind, shifting to the north-west, drove their dead bodies to the
Jersey side, where for miles they blackened the whole shore.

This disaster, however, seems long ago to have been
repaired ; for they now congregate on the Pea Patch in as
immense multitudes as ever.*

* The following is extracted from a late number of a newspaper
printed in that neighbourhood :—

86 CROW.

So universal is the hatred to crows, that few States, either
here or in Europe, have neglected to offer rewards for their
destruction. In the United States, they have been repeatedly
ranked in our laws with the wolves, the panthers, foxes, and
squirrels, and a proportionable premium offered for their heads,
to be paid by any justice of the peace to whom they are
delivered. On all these accounts, various modes have been
invented for capturing them. They have been taken in clap
nets, commonly used for taking pigeons; two or three live
crows being previously procured as decoys, or, as they are
called, stool-crows. Corn has been steeped in a strong decoc-
tion of hellebore, which, when eaten by them, produces giddi-
ness,*and finally it is said, death. Pieces of paper formed
into the shape of a hollow cone, besmeared within with bird-
lime, and a grain or two of corn dropt on the bottom, have
also been adopted. Numbers of these being placed on the
ground, where corn has been planted, the crows, attempting
to reach the grains, are instantly hoodwinked, fly directly
upwards to a great height; but generally descend near the
spot whence they rose, and are easily taken. ‘he reeds of
their roosting places are sometimes set on fire during a dark
night, and the gunners having previously posted themselves
around, the crows rise in great uproar, and, amidst the general
consternation, by the light of the burnings, hundreds of them
are shot down.

Crows have been employed to catch crows, by the following

“The farmers of Red Lion Hundred held a meeting at the village of
St George’s, in the state of Delaware, on Monday the 6th inst., to receive
proposals of John Deputy, on a plan for banishing or destroying the
crows. Mr Deputy’s plan being heard and considered, was approved,
and a committee appointed to contract with him, and to procure the
necessary funds to carry the same into effect. Mr Deputy proposes,
that for five hundred dollars he will engage to kill or banish the crows
from their roost on the Pea Patch, and give security to return the money
on failure.

“The sum of five hundred dollars being thus required, the committee

beg leave to address the farmers and others of Newcastle county and
elsewhere on the subject.”

CROW. 87

stratagem: A live crow is pinned by the wings down to the
ground on his back, by means of two sharp, forked sticks.
Thus situated, his cries are loud and incessant, particularly
if any other crows are within view. ‘These sweeping down
about him, are instantly grappled by the prostrate prisoner,
by the same instinctive impulse that urges a drowning person
to grasp at everything within his reach. Having disengaged
the game from his clutches, the trap is again ready for another
experiment ; and by pinning down each captive, successively,
as soon as taken, in a short time you will probably have a
large flock screaming above you, in concert with the outrageous
prisoners below. Many farmers, however, are content with
hanging up the skins, or dead carcasses, of crows in their corn
fields, in terrorem ; others depend altogether on the gun,
keeping one of their people supplied with ammunition, and
constantly on the look out. In hard winters the crows suffer
severely ; so that they have been observed to fall down in the
fields, and on the roads, exhausted with cold and hunger. In
one of these winters, and during a long continued deep snow,
more than six hundred crows were shot on the carcass of a
dead horse, which was placed at a proper distance from the
stable, from a hole of which the discharges were made. The
preniums awarded for these, with the price paid for the quills,
produced nearly as much as the original value of the horse,
besides, as the man himself assured me, saving feathers suffi-
cient for filling a bed.

The crow is easily raised and domesticated ; and it is only
when thus rendered unsuspicious of, and placed on terms of
familiarity with man, that the true traits of his genius and
native disposition fully develop themselves. In this state he
soon learns to distinguish all the members of the family ; flies
towards the gate, screaming, at the approach of a stranger ;
Jearns to open the door by alighting on the latch; attends
regularly at the stated hours of dinner and breakfast, which
he appears punctually to recollect; is extremely noisy and
loquacious; imitates the sound of various words pretty

88 CROW.

distinctly ; is a great thief and hoarder of curiosities, hiding
in holes, corners, and crevices, every loose article he can
carry off, particularly small pieces of metal, corn, bread, and
food of all kinds; is fond of the society of his master, and will
know him even after a long absence, of which the following is
a remarkable instance, and may be relied on as a fact:—A
very worthy gentleman, now [1811] living in the Gennesee
country, but who at the time alluded to resided on the
Delaware, a few miles below Easton, had raised a crow, with
whose tricks and society he used frequently to amuse himself.
This crow lived long in the family ; but at length disappeared,
having, as was then supposed, been shot by some vagrant
gunner, or destroyed by accident. About eleven months after
this, as the gentleman, one morning, in company with
several others, was standing on the river shore, a number of
crows happening to pass by, one of them left the flock, and
flying directly towards the company, alighted on the gentle-
man’s shoulder, and began to gabble away with great
volubility, as one long absent friend naturally enough does
on meeting with another. On recovering from his surprise,
the gentleman instantly recognised his old acquaintance, and
endeavoured, by several civil but sly manceuvres, to lay hold
of him; but the crow not altogether relishing quite so much
familiarity, having now had a taste of the sweets of liberty,
cautiously eluded all his attempts; aud suddenly glancing
his eye on his distant companions, mounted in the air after
them, soon overtook and mingled with them, and was never
afterwards seen to return.

The habits of the crow in his native state are so generally
known as to require little further illustration. His watchful-
ness, and jealous sagacity in distinguishing a person with a
gun, are notorious to every one. In spring, when he makes
his appearance among the groves and low thickets, the whole
feathered songsters are instantly alarmed, well knowing the
depredations and murders he commits on their nests, eggs, and
young. Few of them, however, have the courage to attack

CROW. 89

him, except the king bird, who, on these occasions, teases and
pursues him from place to place, diving on his back while
high in air, and harassing him for a great distance. A single
pair of these noble spirited birds, whose nest was built near,
have been known to protect a whole field of corn from the
depredations of the crows, not permitting one to approach it.

The crow is eighteen inches and a half long, and three feet
two inches in extent; the general colour is a shining glossy
blue black, with purplish reflections ; the throat and lower
parts are less glossy ; the bill and legs, a shining black, the
former two inches and a quarter long, very strong and covered
at the base with thick tufts of recumbent feathers; the wings,
when shut, reach within an inch and a quarter of the tip of
the tail, which is rounded; fourth primary, the longest ;
secondaries scalloped at the ends, and minutely pointed, by
the prolongation of the shaft; iris, dark hazel.

The above description agrees so nearly with the European
species, as to satisfy me that they are the same; though the
voice of ours is said to be less harsh, not unlike the barking
of a small spaniel: the pointedness of the ends of the tail-
feathers, mentioned by European naturalists, and occasioned
by the extension of the shafts, is rarely observed in the present
species, though always very observable in the secondaries.

The female differs from the male in being more dull coloured,
and rather deficient in the glossy and purplish tints and reflec-
tions. The difference, however, is not great.

Besides grain, insects, and carrion, they feed on frogs, tad-
poles, small fish, lizards, and shell fish; with the latter they
frequently mount to a great height, dropping them on the
rocks below, and descending after them to pick up the con-
tents. ‘The same habit is observable in the gull, the raven,
and sea-side crow. Many other aquatic insects, as well as
marine plants, furnish them with food; which accounts for
their being so generally found, and so numerous, on the sea-
shore, and along the banks of our large rivers.

90 WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE.

WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE.* (Falco

leucocephalus.)

PLATE XXXVI.

Linn. Syst. 124.—Lath. i. 29.—Le pygargue a téte blanche, Buff. i. 99, Pl. enl.
411.—Arct. Zool. 196, No. 89.—Bald Eagle, Catesby, i. 1.—Peale’s Museum,

No. 78.
HALIAETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS.—Savieny.t

Aigle 4 téte blanche, Cuv. Regn. Anim. i. p. 315.—Temm. Man. i. p. 52.—Falco
leucocephalus (sub-gen. Halizetus), Bonap. Synop. p.26.—The White-headed
Eagle, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 160, pl. 31, male.—Aquila (Halizetus) leucoce-
phala, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 15.

Tis distinguished bird, as he is the most beautiful of his
tribe in this part of the world, and the adopted emblem of our
country, is entitled to particular notice. He is represented in
the plate of one-third his natural size, and was drawn from one

* The epithet bald applied to this species, whose head is thickly
covered with feathers, is equally improper and absurd with the titles
goatsucker, kingfisher, &c., bestowed on others ; and seems to have been
occasioned by the white appearance of the head, when contrasted with
the dark colour of the rest of the plumage. The appellation, however,
being now almost universal, is retained in the following pages.

7 This species and the sea eagle of Europe have been thought to be
the same by many ornithologists; some of a latter date appear still to
confound them, and to be unable to satisfy themselves regarding the
distinction. The subject has even been left in doubt in a work which
has been recommended as a text-book to the British student. They are
decidedly distinct, the one being the representing form of the other in
their respective countries. The common sea eagle, Halieetus albicilla,
is, I believe, exclusively European ; the H. leucocephalus, according to
Temminck, is common to the northern hemispheres of both the Old
and New World, though much more abundant in the latter. The adult
birds may be at once distinguished, and the confusion can only have
arisen from the similarity of the young: when closely compared, they
will also be found to possess considerable distinctions.

In habit, too, there is a difference. I have had both species alive in
my possession for several years ; that of America, more active and rest-
less in disposition, is constantly in motion, and incessantly utters its
shrill barking cry. Both species are difficult to be tamed, but the
stranger will hardly allow his cage to be cleaned out. Though four
years old, the head and tail have not attained their pure whiteness,

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WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE. QI

of the largest. and most perfect specimens I have yet met with.
In the background is seen a distant view of the celebrated
Cataract of Niagara, a noted place of resort for these birds,

being still marked with some patches of brown ; but I have found this
to be invariably the case with birds in confinement, from three to five
years being then required to complete their perfect change,! whereas
three years is the generally supposed time in a wild state. Fish is
preferred to any other food by both, but nothing appears to come amiss
to them.

Savigny established his genus for this form, or for the large bare-
legged fishing eagles. They are not so powerfully formed, or so much
adapted for rapid flight as the falcons and eagles. The tarsi are weaker
—the tail more graduated—the whole form more inelegant ; and when
at rest, the secondaries hang in a drooping and sluggish manner over
their wings; their habits, unless when in search of prey, or in the
breeding season, much less daring and active. Such may be said to be
the general characters of the group; our present species, however,
seems to have a disposition more akin to the very fiercest : we have
seen him to be very savage in his cage; in his native wilds he seems
little less so. Fish is the favourite food, though they do not seem able
to take them by plunging, but content themselves with either seizing
from the ospreys what they have caught, or, where the water is so
shallow as to allow them, clutch the fish without diving. Audubon

“says it only now and then procures fish for itself. He has seen them
several times attempting to take red-fins by wading briskly through
the water, and striking at them with their bill. When fish are not to
be had, they appear hardly contented with the smaller animals or birds ;
pigs and sheep are a common fare, and our author has even mentioned
one instance of a child being attacked. The male and female hunt in
concert, and it must be when attacking some large-winged game, or water-
fowl which have had recourse to the lake or river for safety, that their
energies will be best observed. Audubon thus describes a swan hunt :—

“The next moment, however, the wild trumpet-like sound of a yet
distant but approaching swan is heard: a shriek from the female eagle
comes across the stream; for she is fully as alert as her mate. The
snow-white bird is now in sight: her long neck is stretched forward ;
her eye is on the watch, vigilant as that of her enemy ; her large wings
seem with difficulty to support the weight of her body, although they
flap incessantly. So irksome do her exertions seem, that her very legs
are spread beneath her tail, to aid her in her flight. She approaches;
the eagle has marked her for his prey. As the swan is passing the

1 Mr Audubon mentions having known it six, and says in a wild state they :
breed the second year in full plumage.

92 WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE.

as well on account of the fish procured there, as for the
numerous carcasses of squirrels, deer, bears, and various other
animals, that, in their attempts to. cross the river above the

dreaded pair, starts from his perch, in full preparation for the chase, the
male bird, with an awful scream.

“‘ Now is the moment to witness a display of the eagle’s powers. He
glides through the air like a falling star, and, like a flash of lightning,
comes upon the timorous quarry, which now, in agony and despair,
seeks, by various manceuvres, to elude the grasp of his cruel talons. It
mounts, doubles, and willingly would plunge into the stream, were it
not prevented by the eagle, which, long possessed of the knowledge that,
by such a stratagem, the swan might escape him, forces it to remain in
the air, by attempting to strike it with his talons from beneath. The
hope of escape is soon given up by the swan. It has already become
much weakened, and its strength fails at the sight of the courage and
swiftness of its antagonist. Its last gasp is about to escape, when the
ferocious eagle strikes with his talons the under side of its wing, and,
with unresisted power, forces the bird to fall in a slanting direction upon
the nearest shore.”

And, again, when hunting in concert after some bird which has
alighted on the water :—

«‘ At other times, when these eagles, sailing in search of prey, discover
a goose, a duck, or a swan, that has alighted on the water, they accom-
plish its destruction in a manner that is worthy of our attention. Well
aware that water-fowl have it in their power to dive at their approach,
and thereby elude their attempts upon them, they ascend in the air, in
opposite directions, over the lake or river on which the object which
they are desirous of possessing has been observed. Both reach a certain
height, immediately after which, one of them glides with great swiftness
towards the prey ; the latter, meantime, aware of the eagle’s intention,
dives the moment before he reaches the spot. The pursuer then rises
in the air, and is met by its mate, which glides towards the water-bird,
that has just emerged to breathe, and forces it to plunge again beneath
the surface, to escape the talons of this second assailant. The first eagle
is now poising itself in the place where its mate formerly was, and rushes
anew, to force the quarry to make another plunge. By thus alternately
gliding, in rapid and often repeated rushes, over the ill-fated bird, they
soon fatigue it, when it stretches out its neck, swims deeply, and makes
for the shore, in the hope of concealing itself among the rank weeds.
But this is of no avail ; for the eagles follow it in all its motions ; and
the moment it approaches the margin, one of them darts upon it.”

The bald eagle was met with in the Overland Arctic Expedition, but,
towards the north, was only a summer visitant ; in the Fur Countries,

WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE. 93

Falls, have been dragged into the current, and precipitated
down that tremendous gulf, where, among the rocks that
bound the Rapids below, they furnish a rich repast for the

it is one of the earliest, arriving in the month of March, which has thence
received the name of Meekeeshew, or Hepeeshim, or eagle month. It ap-
pears also migratory everywhere to the North ; it was not met with to
the north of the Great Slave Lake, lat. 62° N. although it is common in
the summer in the country lying between that and Lake Superior, and
its breeding-places in the district are numerous. In the month of Octo-
ber, when the rivers are frozen over, it entirely quits Hudson’s Bay lands ;
and it is only on the sea-coasts that individuals can be then met with.

In this place we must introduce another splendid fishing eagle, which,
if ultimately proved to be an undescribed species, will stand as the
Helicetus Washingtonii of Audubon. It has been first beautifully
figured and described by that gentleman, and a specimen of it exists in the
Academy of Philadelphia. Its immense size, and some other differences,
seem to keep it distinct from any species we are acquainted with, and
it is most probably before this time proved to be new. We strongly
suspect, however, that the state in which it is figured is not that of the
adult plumage, and that this has yet to be found: we can only wish
that its discoverer may be successful in his present arduous journey. It
must be of very rare occurrence, three or four being all that Mr Audubon
has ever found of it. We have transcribed the more essential parts of
his description. From it there will be seen a difference in their habits
from the white-headed bird, building and roosting on rocks; and in
their mode of fishing, which is performed like the osprey.

It was in February, 1814, that Mr Audubon first saw this bird, while
on a trading voyage on the Upper Mississipi. He was assured that it
was rare ; and, from the accounts he received, being convinced that it
was unknown to naturalists, he felt anxious to learn its habits, and to
discover in what particulars it differed from the rest of its genus. Mr
Audubon did not again meet with it for some years, and his next meet-
ing was partly accidental : he was engaged in collecting crayfish, and
perceived, on the steep and rocky banks of the Ohio, the marks of the
breeding-place of some bird of prey. His inquiries among the people in
the neighbourhood led him to suppose that it was an eagle, different
from any of those known in America, He resolved to watch the nest ;
and the following is the result :—

“In high expectation I seated myself about a hundred yards from the
foot of the rock. Never did time pass more slowly. I could not help
betraying the most impatient curiosity, for my hopes whispered it was
a sea eagle’s nest. Two long hours had elapsed before the old bird made
his appearance, which was announced to us by the loud hissings of the

94 WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE.

vulture, the raven, and the bald eagle, the subject of the
present account. This bird has been long known to natu-
ralists, being common to both continents, and occasionally
met with from a very high northern latitude, to the borders
of the torrid zone, but chiefly in the vicinity of the sea, and
along the shores and cliffs of our lakes and large rivers.
Formed by nature for braving the severest cold; feeding
equally on the produce of the sea and of the land ; possessing

two young ones, which crawled to the extremity of the hole to receive a
fine fish. I had a perfect view of this noble bird, as he held himself to
the edging rock, hanging like the barn, bank, or social swallow, his tail
spread, and his wings partly so. I trembled lest a word should escape
my companions. The slightest murmur had been treason from them.
They entered into my feelings, and, though little interested, joined with
me. Ina few minutes the other parent joined her mate. She glanced
her quick and piercing eye around, and instantly perceived that her
abode had been discovered. She dropped her prey, with a loud shriek,
communicated the alarm to the male, and, hovering with him over our
heads, kept up a growling cry.” It was not till two years after that Mr
Audubon had the good fortune to shoot this eagle ; and the following
description was then taken :—

* Bill, bluish black, the edges pale; the soft margin towards the com-
missure, and the base of the under mandible, yellow; cere, yellowish
brown ; lore, light greenish blue ; iris, chestnut brown ; feet, deep yel-
low ; claws, bluish black ; upper part of the head, hind neck, back
scapulars, rump, tail-coverts, and posterior tibial feathers, blackish
brown, glossed with a coppery tint ; throat, foreneck, breast, and belly,
light brownish yellow, each feather marked along the centre with black-
ish brown ; wing-coverts, light grayish brown, those next the body
becoming darker, and approaching the colour of the back ; primary
quills, dark brown, deeper on their inner webs ; secondaries, lighter,
and on their outer webs, of nearly the same light tint as their coverts ;
tail, uniform dark brown ; anterior tibial feathers, grayish brown.

“Length, three feet seven inches ; extent of wings, ten feet two inches;
bill, three and a quarter inches along the back ; along the gap, which
commences directly under the eye, to the tip of the lower mandible,
three and one-third, and one and three quarters deep ; length of wing
when folded, thirty-two inches ; length of tail, fifteen inches; tarsus, four
and a half ; middle, four and three-quarters ; hind claw, two and a half.

“The two stomachs, large and baggy; their contents in the individual
described were fish, fishes’ scales, and entrails of various kinds ; intes-
tines, large, but thin and transparent.” —Ep,

WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE. 95

powers of flight capable of* outstripping even the tempests
themselves ; unawed by anything but man; and, from the
ethereal heights to which he soars, looking abroad, at one
glance, on an immeasurable expanse of forests, fields, lakes,
and ocean, deep below him, he appears indifferent to the little
localities of change of seasons; as, in a few minutes, he can
pass from summer to winter, from the lower to the higher
regions of the atmosphere, the abode of eternal cold, and
thence descend, at will, to the torrid, or the arctic regions of
the earth. He is, therefore, found at all seasons in the
countries he inhabits; but prefers such places as have been
mentioned above, from the great partiality he has for fish.

In procuring these, he displays, in a very singular manner,
the genius and energy of his character, which is fierce, con-
templative, daring, and tyrannical,—attributes not exerted
but on particular occasions, but, when put forth, overpowering
all opposition. Elevated on the high dead limb of some
gigantic tree that commands a wide view of the neighbouring
shore and ocean, he seems calmly to contemplate the motions
of the various feathered tribes that pursue their busy avoca-
tions below,—the snow-white gulls slowly winnowing the air ;
the busy 7ringe coursing along the sands ; trains of ducks
streaming over the surface ; silent and watchful cranes, intent
and wading; clamorous crows; and all the winged multitudes
that subsist by the bounty of this vast liquid magazine of
nature. High over all these hovers one, whose action instantly
arrests his whole attention. By his wide curvature of wing,
and sudden suspension in air, he knows him to be the fish
hawk, settling over some devoted victim of the deep. His
eye kindles at the sight, and, balancing himself, with half
opened wings, on the branch, he watches the result. Down,
rapid as an arrow from heaven, descends the distant object of
his attention, the roar of its wings reaching the ear as it dis-
appears in the deep, making the surges foam around. At
this moment, the eager looks of the eagle are all ardour; and,
levelling his neck for flight, he sees the fish hawk once more

96 WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE.

emerge, struggling with his prey, and mounting in the air with
screams of exultation. These are the signal for our hero, who,
launching into the air, instantly gives chase, and soon gains |
on the fish hawk; each exerts his utmost to mount above the
other, displaying in these rencontres the most elegant and
sublime aérial evolutions. The unencumbered eagle rapidly
advances, and is just on the point of reaching his opponent,
when, with a sudden scream, probably of despair and honest
execration, the latter drops his fish ; the eagle, poising himself
for a moment, as if to take a more certain aim, descends like
a whirlwind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water,
and bears his ill-gotten booty silently away to the woods.

These predatory attacks, and defensive manceuvres of the
eagle and the fish hawk, are matters of daily observation alone
the whole of our sea board, from Georgia to New England,
and frequently excite great interest in the spectators. Sym-
pathy, however, on this, as on most other occasions, gene-
rally sides with the honest and laborious sufferer, in opposi-
tion to the attacks of power, injustice, and rapacity—qualities
for which our hero is so generally notorious, and which, in
his superior, man, are certainly detestable. As for the feel-
ings of the poor fish, they seem altogether out of the question.

When driven, as he sometimes is, by the combined courage
and perseverance of the fish hawks, from their neighbourhood,
and forced to hunt for himself, he retires more inland, in
search of young pigs, of which he destroys great numbers.
In the lower parts of Virginia and North Carolina, where the
inhabitants raise vast herds of those animals, complaints of
this kind are very general against him. He also destroys
young lambs in the early part of spring ; and will sometimes
attack old sickly sheep, aiming furiously at their eyes,

In corroboration of the remarks I have myself made on the
manners of the bald eagle, many accounts have reached me
from various persons of respectability, living on or near our
sea-coast: the substance of all these I shall endeavour to
incorporate with the present account.

WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE. 97

Mr John L. Gardiner, who resides on an island of three
thousand acres, about three miles from the eastern point of
Long Island, from which it is separated by Gardiner’s Bay,
and who has, consequently, many opportunities of observing
the habits of these birds, has favoured me with a number of
interesting particulars on this subject ; for which I beg leave
thus publicly to return my grateful acknowledgment,

“The bald eagles,” says this gentleman, ‘remain on this
island during the whole winter. They can be most easily
discovered on evenings by their loud snoring while asleep on
high oak trees; and, when awake, their hearing seems to be
nearly as good as their sight. I think I mentioned to you,
that I had myself seen one flying with a lamb ten days old,
and which it dropped on the ground from about ten or twelve
feet high. The strugeling of the lamb, more than its weight,
prevented its carrying it away. My running, hallooing, and
being very near, might prevent its completing its design. It
had broke the back in the act of seizing it ; and I was under
the necessity of killing it outright to prevent its misery. The
lamb’s dam seemed astonished to see its innocent offspring
borne off into the air by a bird.

‘“‘T was lately told,” continues Mr Gardiner, “by a man of
truth, that he saw an eagle rob a hawk of its fish, and the
hawk seemed so enraged as to fly down at the eagle, while
the eagle very deliberately, in the air, threw himself partly
over on his back, and, while he grasped with one foot the fish,
extended the other to threaten or seize the hawk. I have
known several hawks unite to attack the eagle; but never
knew a single one to doit. The eagle seems to regard the
hawks as the hawks do the king birds—only as teasing,
troublesome fellows.”

From the same intelligent and obliging friend, I lately
received a well-preserved skin of the bald eagle, which, from
its appearance, and the note that accompanied it, seems to
have belonged to a very formidable individual. “It was shot,”

says Mr Gardiner, ‘“‘Jast winter, on this island, and weighed
VOL, I. G

98 WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE.

thirteen pounds; measured three feet in length, and seven
from tip to tip of the expanded wings; was extremely fierce
looking ; though wounded, would turn his back to no one ;
fastened his claws into the head of a dog, and was with diffi-
culty disengaged. I have ridden on horseback within five or
six rods of one, who, by his bold demeanour, raising his
feathers, &c., seemed willing to dispute the ground with its
owner. The crop of the present was full of mutton, from my
part blood Merinos; and his intestines contained feathers,
which he probably devoured with a duck, or winter gull, as I
observed an entire foot and leg of some water fowl. I had
two killed previous to this, which weighed ten pounds avoir-
dupois each.”

The intrepidity of character, mentioned above, may be
further illustrated by the following fact, which occurred a few
years ago, near Great Egg Harbour, New Jersey. A woman,
who happened to be weeding in the garden, had set her child
down near, to amuse itself while she was at work; when a
sudden and extraordinary rushing sound, and a scream from
her child, alarmed her, and starting up, she beheld the infant
thrown down, and dragged some few feet, and a large bald
eagle bearing off the fragment of its frock, which being the
only part seized, and giving way, providentially saved the life
of the infant.

The appetite of the bald eagle, though habituated to long
fasting, is of the most voracious, and often a most indelicate
kind. Fish, when he can obtain them, are preferred to all
other fare. Young lambs and pigs are dainty morsels, and
made free with on all favourable occasions. Ducks, geese,
gulls, and other sea fowl, are also seized with avidity. The
most putrid carrion, when nothing better can be had, is accept-
able ; and the collected groups of gormandising vultures, on
the approach of this dignified personage, instantly disperse,
and make way for their master, waiting his departure in sullen
silence, and at a respectful distance, on the adjacent trees. .

In one of those partial migrations of tree squirrels that

WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGEE. 99

sometimes take place in our western forests, many thousands
of them were drowned in attempting to cross the Ohio; and
at a certain place, not far from Wheeling, a prodigious number
of their dead bodies were floated to the shore by an eddy.
Here the vultures assembled in great force, and had regaled
themselves for some time, when a bald eagle made his appear-
ance, and took sole possession of the premises, keeping the
whole vultures at’ their proper distance for several days. He
has also been seen navigating the same river on a floating
carrion, though scarcely raised above the surface of the water,
and tugging at the carcase, regardless of snags, sawyers,
planters, or shallows. He sometimes carries his tyranny to
great extremes against the vultures. In hard times, when
food happens to be scarce, should he accidentally meet with
one of these who has its craw crammed with carrion, he
attacks it fiercely in the air; the cowardly vulture instantly
disgorges, and the delicious contents are snatched up by the
eagle before they reach the ground.

The nest of this species is generally fixed on a very large
and lofty tree, often in a swamp or morass, and difficult to be
ascended. On some noted tree of this description, often a
pine or cypress, the bald eagle builds, year after year, for a
long series of years. When both male and female have been
shot from the nest, another pair has soon after taken posses-
sion. The nest is large, being added to and repaired every
season, until it becomes a black, prominent mass, observable
at a considerable distance. It is formed of large sticks, sods,
earthy rubbish, hay, moss, &c. Many have stated to me that
the female lays first a single egg, and that, after having sat
on it for some time, she lays another; when the first is
hatched, the warmth of that, it is pretended, hatches the other.
Whether this be correct or not, I cannot determine; but a
very respectable gentleman of Virginia assured me, that he
saw a large tree cut down, containing the nest of a bald eagle,
in which were two young, one of which appeared nearly three
times as large as the other. <As a proof of their attachment to

iceye) _WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE.

their young, a person near Norfolk informed me, that, in
clearing a piece of wood on his place, they met with a large
dead pine tree, on which was a bald eagle’s nest and young.
The tree being on fire more than half way up, and the flames
rapidly ascending, the parent eagle darted around and among
the flames, until her plumage was so much injured that it was
with difficulty she could make her escape, and even then, she
several times attempted to return to relieve her offspring.

No bird provides more abundantly for its young than the
bald eagle. Fish are daily carried thither in numbers, so
that they sometimes lie scattered round the tree, and the
putrid smell of the nest may be distinguished at the distance
of several hundred yards. The young are at first covered
with a thick whitish or cream coloured cottony down ; they
eradually become of a gray colour as their plumage developes
itself; continue of the brown gray until the third year, when
the white begins to make its appearance on the head, neck,
tail-coverts, and tail; these, by the end of the fourth year,
are completely white, or very slightly tinged with cream ;
the eye also is at first hazel, but gradually brightens into a
brilliant straw colour, with the white plumage of the head.
Such at least was the gradual progress of this change,
witnessed by myself, on a very fine specimen brought up
by a gentleman, a friend of mine, who, for a considerable
time, believed it to be what is usually called the gray eacle,
and was much surprised at the gradual metamorphosis,
This will account for the circumstance, so frequently observed,
of the gray and white-headed eagle being seen together, both
being, in fact, the same species, in different stages of colour,
according to their difference of age.

The flight of the bald eagle, when taken into consideration
with the ardour and energy of his character, is noble and
interesting. Sometimes the human eye can just discern him,
like a minute speck, moving in slow curvatures along the face —
of the heavens, as if reconnoitring the earth at that immense
distance. Sometimes he glides along in a direct horizontal

WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE. IOI

line, at a vast height, with expanded and unmoving wings,
till he gradually disappears in the distant blue ether. Seen
eliding in easy circles over the high shores and mountainous
cliffs that tower above the Hudson and Susquehanna, he
attracts the eye of the intelligent voyager, and adds great
interest to the scenery. At the great Cataract of Niagara,
already mentioned, there rises from the gulf into which the
Fall of the Horse-shoe descends, a stupendous column of
smoke, or spray, reaching to the heavens, and moving off in
large black clouds, according to the direction of the wind,
forming a very striking and majestic appearance. ‘The
eagles are here seen sailing about, sometimes losing them-
selves in this thick column, and again reappearing in another
place, with such ease and elegance of motion, as renders the
whole truly sublime.

High o’er the watery uproar, silent seen,

Sailing sedate in majesty serene,

Now midst the pillar’d spray sublimely lost,

And now, emerging, down the Rapids tost,

Glides the bald eagle, gazing calm, and slow,

O’er all the horrors of the scene below ;

Intent alone to sate himself with blood,
From the torn victims of the raging flood.

The white-headed eagle is three feet long, and seven feet
in extent; the bill is of a rich yellow; cere, the same, slightly
tinged with green; mouth, flesh-coloured ; tip of the tongue,
bluish black; the head, chief part of the neck, vent, tail-
coverts, and tail, are white in the perfect, or old birds of
both sexes,—in those under three years of age these parts are
of a gray brown; the rest of the plumage is deep dark
brown, each feather tipt with pale brown, lightest on the
shoulder of the wing, and darkest towards its extremities.
The conformation of the wing is admirably adapted for the
support of so large a bird; it measures two feet in breadth.
on the greater quills, and sixteen inches on the lesser; the
longest primaries are twenty inches in length, and upwards
of one inch in circumference where they enter the skin;

To2 WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE.

the broadest secondaries are three inches in breadth across
the vane; the scapulars are very large and broad, spreading
from the back to the wing, to prevent the air from passing
through ; another range of broad flat feathers, from three to
ten inches in length, also extends from the lower part of the
breast to the wing below, for the same purpose ; between
these lies a deep triangular cavity ; the thighs are remarkably
thick, strong, and muscular, covered with long feathers point-
ing backwards, usually called the femoral feathers; the legs,
which are covered half way below the knee, before, with dark
brown downy feathers, are of a rich yellow, the colour of ripe
Indian corn; feet the same; claws, blue black, very large
and strong, particularly the inner one, which is considerably
the largest; soles, very rough and warty; the eye issunk under
a bony, or cartilaginous projection, of a pale yellow colour, and
is turned considerably forwards, not standing parallel with the
cheeks ; the iris is of a bright straw colour, pupil black.

The male is generally two or three inches shorter than the
female; the white on the head, neck, and tail being more
tinged with yellowish, and its whole appearance less formi-
dable ; the brown plumage is also lighter, and the bird itself
less daring than the female,—a circumstance common to
almost all birds of prey.

The bird from which the foregoing drawing and description
were taken, was shot near Great Egg Harbour, in the month
of January. It was in excellent order, and weighed about
eleven pounds. Dr Samuel B. Smith, of this city, obliged
me with a minute and careful dissection of it ; from whose
copious and very interesting notes on the subject, I shall
extract such remarks as are suited to the general reader.

“The eagle you sent me for dissection was a beautiful
female. It had two expansions of the gullet. The first prin-
cipally composed of longitudinal bundles of fibre, in which
(as the bird is ravenous and without teeth) large portions of
unmasticated meats are suffered to dissolve before they pass
to the lower or proper stomach, which is membranous. I did
not receive the bird time enough to ascertain whether any

WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE. 103

chilification was effected by the juices from the vessels of this
enlargement of the cesophagus. I think it probable, that. it
also has a regurgitating, or vomiting power, as the bird con-
stantly swallows large quantities of indigestible substances,
such as quills, hairs, &c. In this sac of the eagle, I found the
quill-feathers of the small white gull ; and in the true stomach,
the tail and some of the breast-feathers of the same bird, and
the dorsal vertebree of a large fish. This excited some surprise,
until you made me acquainted with the fact of its watching the
fish hawks, and robbing them of their prey. Thus we see,
throughout the whole empire of animal life, power is almost
always in a state of hostility to justice ; and of the Deity only
can it truly be said, that justice is commensurate with power !

“The eagle has the several auxiliaries to digestion and
assimilation in common with man. ‘The liver was unusually
large in your specimen. It secretes bile, which stimulates
the intestines, prepares the chyle for blood, and by this very
secretion of bile (as it is a deeply respiring animal), separates
or removes some obnoxious principles from the blood. (See
Dr Rush’s admirable lecture on this important viscus in the
human subject.) The intestines were also large, long,
convolute, and supplied with numerous lacteal vessels, which
differ little from those of men, except in colour, which was
transparent. ‘lhe kidneys were large, and seated on each side
the vertebre, near the anus. They are also destined to secrete
some offensive principles from the blood.

“The eggs were small and numerous ; and, after a careful
examination, I concluded that no sensible increase takes place
in them till the particular season. This may account for
the unusual excitement which prevails in these birds in the
sexual intercourse. Why there are so many eggs, is a mystery.
It is, perhaps, consistent with natural law, that everything
should be abundant ; but, from this bird, it is said, no more
than two young are hatched in a season, consequently, no
more eggs are wanted than a sufficiency to produce that effect.
Are the eggs numbered originally, and is there no increase
of number, but a gradual loss, till all are deposited? If so,

104 FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY.

the number may correspond to the long life and vigorous
health of this noble bird. Why there are but two young in
a season, is easily explained. Nature has been studiously par-
simonious of her physical strength, from whence the tribes of
animals incapable to resist, derive security and confidence.”
The eagle is said to live to a great age,—sixty, eighty, and,
as some assert, one hundred years. This circumstance is
remarkable, when we consider the seeming intemperate habits
of the bird. Sometimes fasting, through necessity, for several
days, and at other times gorging itself with animal food till its
craw swells out the plumage of that part, forming a large
protuberance on the breast. This, however, is its natural
food, and for these habits its whole organisation is particularly
adapted. It has not, like men, invented rich wines, ardent
spirits, and a thousand artificial poisons, in the form of soups,
sauces, and sweetmeats. Its food is simple, it indulges freely,
uses great exercise, breathes the purest air, is healthy, vigor-
ous, and long lived. The lords of the creation themselves
might derive some useful hints from these facts, were they
not already, in general, too wise, or too proud, to learn from
their inferiors, the fowls of the air and beasts of the field.

FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY. (Falco halietus.)
PLATE XXXVII.—Fic. 1.

Jarolina Osprey, Lath. Syn. i. p. 46.—26. A.—Falco piscator, Briss. i. p. 361. 14.
362. 15.—Faucon Pécheur de la Caroline, Buff. i. p. 142.—Fishing Hawk,
Catesby, Car. i. p. 2.—Turt. Syst. i. 149.—Peales Museum, No. 144.

PANDION HALIAZETUS.—Savicny.*
Le Balbuzard, Cuv. Regn. Anim. i. p. 316.—Aigle Balbuzard, Zemm. Man. i. p.
7.—Balbusardus haliztus, Plem. Br. Anim. p. 51.—Osprey, Falco halizxe-

tus, Selby, Illust. Br. Ornith. i. p. 12, pl. 4.—Falco haliztus (sub-gen. Pan-
dion), Bonap. Synop. p. 26.—The Fish Hawk, or Osprey, Aud. pl. 81. male
Orn. Biog. i. 415.—Aquila (Pandion) halizeta, North. Zool. ii. p. 20. “y

T'nis formidable, vigorous-winged, and well known bird,
subsists altogether on the finny tribes that swarm in our bays,

* This is the type of another aquatic group, and a real fisher. It does
not, like the white-headed eagle, though fond of fish, subsist only upon

7 rom Nature by A. Wilson Ergraved be WE Lares

L. Fish-Hawk. 2.Fish-Crow. G.hking Plover. &£.Least Snipe.

ofl.

FISH HAWkK, OR OSPREY. : 105

creeks, and rivers ; procuring his prey by his own active skill
and industry ; and seeming no farther dependent on the land
than as a mere resting-place, or, in the usual season, a spot of
deposit for his nest, eggs, and young. The figure here given is

the plunder of others, but labours for itself in the most dexterous man-
ner ; and for this, the beautiful adaptation of its form renders every
assistance. The body is very strongly built, but is rather of a narrow
and elongated shape; the head is less than the ordinary proportional
dimensions ; and the wings are expansive, powerful, and sharp-pointed.
The manner of seizing their prey is by soaring above the surface of the
sea, or lake, and, when in sight of a fish, closing the wings, and darting,
as it were, by the weight of the body, which, in the descent, may be
perceived to be directed by the motion of the tail. For this purpose,
those parts which we have mentioned are finely framed, and for the
remainder of the operation, the legs and feet are no less beautifully
modelled, The thighs, instead of being clothed with finely lengthened
plumes, as in most of the other falcons, and which, when wet, would
prove a great encumbrance, are covered with a thick downy plumage ;
the tarsi are short and very strong ; the toes have the same advantages ;
and underneath, at the junction of each joint, have a large protuberance,
covered, as are the other parts of the sole, with a thick and strong array
of hard jagged scales, which are sufficient, by the roughness, to prevent
any escape of their slippery prey when it is once fairly clutched ; the
claws are also very strong, and hooked, and are round as a cylinder, both
above and beneath, which will ensure an easy, piercing, or quick retrac-
tion from any body at which they may be struck. The outer toe is also
capable of being turned either way—a most essential assistance in
grasping. In striking their prey they do not appear to dive deep ;
indeed, their feet, by which alone it is taken, could not then be brought
into action, but they are often concealed in the spray occasioned by their
rapid descent.

The size of a fish they are able to bear away is very great, and some-
times exceeds their own weight. That of the female is little more than
five pounds, and Mr Audubon has figured his specimen with a weak fish
more than that weight ; while our author mentions a shad that, when
partly eaten, weighed more than six pounds. These authenticated
accounts lead us almost to credit the more marvellous stories of that
amusing sporting writer, Mr Loyd.

That gentleman relates, that in Sweden the eagle sometimes strikes
so large a pike, that not being able to disengage his talons, he is carried
under water and drowned. Dr Mullenborg vouched for this, by the fact
of having himself seen an enormous pike, with an eagle fastened to his

106 FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY.

reduced to one-third the size of life, to correspond with that of
the bald eagle, his common attendant and constant plunderer.

The fish hawk is migratory, arriving on the coasts of New
York and New Jersey about the twenty-first of March, and
retiring to the south about the twenty-second of September.
Heavy equinoctial storms may vary these periods of arrival
and departure a few days ; but long observation has ascertained
that they are kept with remarkable regularity. On the arrival
of these birds in the northern parts of the United States, in
March, they sometimes find the bays and ponds frozen, and
experience a difficulty in procuring fish for many days. Yet
there is no instance on record of their attacking birds, or
inferior land animals, with intent to feed on them; though

back, lying dead on a piece of ground which had been overflowed, but
from whence the water had retreated.

He mentions also an account of a struggle between an eagle and a pike,
witnessed by a gentleman, on the Gotha river, at no great distance from
Wenersborg. In this instance, when the eagle first seized the pike, he
was enabled to lift him a short distance into the air, but the weight of
the fish, together with its struggles, soon carried them back again to the
water, under which for a while they both disappeared. Presently, how-
ever, the eagle again came to the surface, uttering the most piercing
cries, and making apparently every endeavour to extricate his talons,
but all in vain ; and after struggling, he was carried under water.

Savigny formed his well marked genus Pandion from this species,
which we now adopt. The osprey is common to both continents, and I
possess one from New Holland in no way different. It is met with in
England occasionally, but, according to Montague, is particularly
plentiful in Devonshire. In Scotland, a pair or two may be found
about most of the Highland lochs, where they fish, and, during the
breeding season, build on the ruined towers so common on the edges or
insulated rocks of these wild waters. The nest is an immense fabric of
rotten sticks—

Itself a burden for the tallest tree,

and is generally placed, if such exists, on the top of the chimney, and
if this be wanting, on the highest summit of the building. An aged
tree may sometimes be chosen, but ruins are always preferred, if near.
They have the same propensity of returning to an old station with those
of America; and if one is shot, a mate is soon found, and brought to
the ancient abode. Loch Lomond, Loch Awe and Kilchurn Castle, and
Loch Menteith, have been long breeding places.—Eb.

FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY. 107

their great strength of flight, as well as of feet and claws,
would seem to render this no difficult matter. But they no
sooner arrive, than they wage war on the bald eagles, as against
a horde of robbers and banditti; sometimes succeeding, by
force of numbers and perseverance, in driving them from their
haunts, but seldom or never attacking them in single combat.

The first appearance of the fish hawk in spring is welcomed
by the fishermen, as the happy signal of the approach of those
vast shoals of herring, shad, &c., that regularly arrive on our
coasts, and enter our rivers in such prodigious multitudes.
Two of a trade, it is said, seldom agree; the adage, however,
will not hold good in the present case, for such is the respect
paid the fish hawk, not only by this class of men, but, generally,
by the whole neighbourhood where it resides, that a person
who should attempt to shoot one of them would stand a fair
chance of being insulted. This prepossession in favour of the
fish hawk is honourable to their feelings. They associate,
with its first appearance, ideas of plenty, and all the gaiety of
business; they see it active and industrious like themselves ;
inoffensive to the productions of their farms; building with
confidence, and without the least disposition to concealment,
in the middle of their fields, and along their fences; and
returning, year after year, regularly to its former abode.

The nest of the fish hawk is usually built on the top of a
dead, or decaying tree, sometimes not more than fifteen, often
upwards of fifty feet, from the ground. It has been remarked
by the people of the sea coasts, that the most thriving tree will
die in a few years after being taken possession of by the fish
hawk. This is attributed to the fish oil, and to the excre-
ments of the bird; but is more probably occasioned by the
Jarge heap of wet salt materials of which the nest is usually
composed. In my late excursions to the sea shore, I ascended
to several of these nests that had been built in from year to
year, and found them constructed as follows:—Externally,
large sticks, from half an inch to an inch and a half in
diameter, and two or three feet in length, piled to the height

108 FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY.

of four or five feet, and from two to three feet in breadth ;
these were intermixed with corn stalks, seaweed, pieces of wet
turf, in large quantities, mullein stalks, and lined with dry
sea-grass ; the whole forming a mass very observable at half
a mile’s distance, and large enough to fill a cart, and be no
inconsiderable load for a horse. ‘These materials are so well
put together, as often to adhere, in large fragments, after being
blown down by the wind. My learned and obliging corre-
spondent of New York, Dr Samuel L. Mitchill, observes, that
‘A sort of superstition is entertained in regard to the fish
hawk. It has been considered a fortunate incident to have a
nest, and a pair of these birds, on one’s farm. They have,
therefore, been generally respected ; and neither the axe nor
the gun has been lifted against them. ‘Their nest continues
from year to year. ‘l’he same couple, or another, as the case
may be, occupies it, season after season. Repairs are duly
made, or, when demolished by storms, it is industriously
rebuilt. here was one of these nests, formerly, upon the
leafless summit of a venerable chestnut tree on our farm,
directly in front of the house, at the distance of less than half
amile. ‘he withered trunk and boughs, surmounted by the
coarse wrought and capacious nest, was a more picturesque
object than an obelisk: and the flights of the hawks, as they
went forth to hunt—returned with their game—exercised
themselves in wheeling round and round, and circling about
it—were amusing to the beholder, almost from morning to
night. The family of these hawks, old and young, was killed
by the Hessian Jagers. A succeeding pair took possession of
the nest; but in the course of time, the prongs of the trunk
so rotted away, that the nest could no longer be supported.
The hawks have been obliged to seek new quarters. We
have lost this part of our prospect; and our trees have not
afforded a convenient site for one of their habitations since.”
About the first of May, the female fish hawk begins to lay
her eggs, which are commonly three in number, sometimes
only two, and rarely four. They are somewhat larger than

FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY. ICQ

those of the common hen, and nearly of the same shape. The
ground colour varies, in different eggs, from a reddish cream,
to nearly a white, splashed and daubed all over with dark
Spanish brown, as if done by art.* During the time the
female is sitting, the male frequently supplies her with fish ;
though she occasionally takes a short circuit to sea herself,
but quickly returns again. ‘The attention of the male, on such
occasions, is regulated by the circumstances of the case. A
pair of these birds, on the south side of Great Eee Harbour
river, and near its mouth, was noted for several years. The
female, having but one leg, was regularly furnished, while
sitting, with fish in such abundance, that she seldom left the
nest, and never to seek for food. This kindness was continued
both before and after incubation. Some animals, who claim
the name and rationality of man, might blush at the recital
of this fact.

On the appearance of the young, which is usually about the
last of June, the zeal and watchfulness of the parents are
extreme. They stand guard, and go off to fish, alternately :
one parent being always within a short distance of the nest.
On the near approach of any person, the hawk utters a plain-
tive whistling note, which becomes shriller as she takes to
wing, and sails around, sometimes making a rapid descent,
as if aiming directly for you; but checking her course, and

* Of the palatableness of these eggs I cannot speak from personal
experience ; but the following incident will show that the experiment
has actually been made :—A country fellow, near Cape May, on his
way to a neighbouring tavern, passing a tree, on which was a fish
hawk’s nest, immediately mounted, and robbed it of the only egg it
contained, which he carried with him to the tavern, and desired the
landlord to make it into egg-nogg. The tavern keeper, after a few wry
faces, complied with his request, and the fellow swallowed the cordial.
Whether from its effects on the olfactory nerves (for he said it smelt
abominably), on the imagination, or on the stomach alone, is uncertain,
but it operated as a most outrageous emetic, and cured the man, for that
time at least, of his thirst for ege-nogg, What is rather extraordinary,
the landlord (Mr Beasley) assured me, that, to all appearance, the egg
was perfectly fresh.

IIO FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY.

sweeping past, at a short distance overhead, her wings making
a loud whizzing in the air. My worthy friend Mr Gardiner
informs me, that they have even been known to fix their claws
in a negro’s head, who was attempting to climb to their nest ;
and I had lately a proof of their daring spirit in this way,
through the kindness of a friend, resident, for a few weeks, at
Great Egg Harbour. I had requested of him the favour to
transmit me, if possible, a live fish hawk, for the purpose of
making a drawing of it, which commission he very faithfully
executed ; and I think I cannot better illustrate this part of
the bird’s character, than by quoting his letter at large :—

“‘ BEASLEY 'S, GREAT Eca Harsour, 30th June 1811.

‘“‘ Srr,—Mr Beasley and I went to reconnoitre a fish hawk’s
nest on Thursday afternoon. When I was at the nest, I was
struck with so great violence on the crown of the hat, that I
thought a hole was made in it. I had ascended fearlessly,
and never dreamt of being attacked. I came down quickly.
There were in the nest three young ones, about the size of
pullets, which, though full feathered, were unable to fly. On
Friday morning, I went again to the nest to get a young one,
which I thought I could nurse to a considerable growth, suf-
ficient to answer your purpose, if I should fail to procure an
old one, which was represented to me as almost impossible,
on account of his shyness, and the danger from his dreadful
claws. On taking a young one, I intended to lay a couple of
snares in the nest, for which purpose I had a strong cord in
my pocket. The old birds were on the tree when Captain
H. and I approached it. As a defence, profiting by the expe-
rience of yesterday, I took a walking stick with me. When
I was about half up the tree, the bird I send you struck at
me repeatedly with violence ; he flew round, in a small circle,
darting at me at every circuit, and I striking at him. Ob-
serving that he always described a circle in the air, before he
came at me, I kept a hawk’s eye upon him, and the moment
he passed me, I availed myself of the opportunity to ascend.

FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY. III

When immediately under the nest, I hesitated at the formid-
able opposition I met, as his rage appeared to increase with
my presumption in invading his premises. But I mounted
to the nest. At that moment he darted directly at me with
all his force, whizzing through the air, his choler apparently
redoubled. Fortunately for me, I struck him on the extreme
joint of the right wing with my stick, which brought him to
the ground. During this contest, the female was flying round
and round at a respectful distance. Captain H. held him till
I tied my handkerchief about his legs: the captain felt the
effect of his claws. I brought away a young one to keep the
old one in a good humour. I put them in a very large coop;
the young one ate some fish, when broken and put into its
throat ; but the old one would not eat for two days. He con-
tinued sullen and obstinate, hardly changing his position.
He walks about now, and is approached without danger. He
takes very little notice of the young one. A Joseph Smith,
working in the field where this nest is, had the curiosity to
go up and look at the eggs: the bird clawed his face in a
shocking manner ; his eye had a narrow escape. Iam told
that it has never been considered dangerous to approach a
hawk’s nest. If this be so, this bird’s character is peculiar ;
his affection for his young, and his valiant opposition to an
invasion of his nest, entitle him to conspicuous notice. He is
the prince of fish hawks; his character and his portrait seem
worthy of being handed to the historic muse. A hawk more
worthy of the honour which awaits him could not have been
found. I hope no accident will happen to him, and that he
may fully answer your purpose,— Yours,
“THomas SMITH.”

“This morning the female was flying to and fro, making a

mournful noise.”

The young of the fish hawk are remarkable for remaining
long in the nest before they attempt to fly. Mr Smith’s letter
is dated June 30th, at which time, he observes, they were as

1I2 FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY.

large as pullets, and full feathered. Seventeen days after, I my-
self ascended to this same hawk’s nest, where I found the two
remaining young ones seemingly full grown. ‘They made no
attempts to fly, though they both placed themselves in a stern
posture of defence as I examined them at my leisure. The
female had procured a second helpmate ; but he did not seem
to inherit the spirit of his predecessor, for, like a true step-
father, he left the nest at my approach, and sailed about at a
safe distance with his mate, who showed great anxiety and
distress during the whole of my visit. It is universally asserted,
by the people of the neighbourhood where these birds breed,
that the young remain so long before they fly, that the parents
are obliged at last to compel them to shift for themselves,
beating them with their wings, and driving them from the
nest. But that they continue to assist them even after this,
I know to be a fact, from my own observation, as I have seen
the young bird meet its parent in the air, and receive from
him the fish he carried in his claws.

The flight of the fish hawk, his mancenvres while in search
of fish, and his manner of seizing his prey, are deserving of
particular notice. In leaving the nest, he usually flies direct
till he comes to the sea, then sails around, in easy curving
lines, turning sometimes in the air as on a pivot, apparently
without the least exertion, rarely moving the wings, his legs
extended in a straight line behind, and his remarkable length,
and curvature, or bend of wing, distinguishing him from all
other hawks. The height at which he thus elegantly glides
is various, from one hundred to one hundred and fifty, and
two hundred feet, sometimes much higher, all the while calmly
reconnoitering the face of the deep below. Suddenly he is
seen to check his course, as if struck by a particular object,
which he seems to survey for a few moments with such steadi-
ness, that he appears fixed in the air, flapping his wings.
This object, however, he abandons, or rather the fish he had
in his eye has disappeared, and he is again seen sailing around
as before. Now his attention is again arrested, and he descends

FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY. 113

with great rapidity ; but ere he reaches the surface, shoots off
on another course, as if ashamed that a second victim had
escaped him. He now sails at a short height above the sur-
face, and by a zigzag descent, and without seeming to dip his
feet in the water, seizes a fish, which, after carrying a short
distance, he probably drops, or yields up to the bald eagle,
and again ascends, by easy spiral circles, to the higher regions
of the air, where he glides about in all the ease and majesty
of his species. At once, from this sublime aérial height, he
descends like a perpendicular torrent, plunging into the sea
with a loud rushing sound, and with the certainty of a rifle.
In a few moments he emerges, bearing in his claws his
struggling prey, which he always carries head foremost, and,
having risen a few feet above the surface, shakes himself as a
water spaniel would do, and directs his heavy and laborious
course directly for the land. If the wind blow hard, and his
nest lie in the quarter from whence it comes, it is amusing to
observe with what judgment and exertion he beats to wind-
ward, not in a direct line, that is, a the wind’s eye, but
making several successive tacks to gain his purpose. This
will appear the more striking, when we consider the size of
the fish which he sometimes bears along. A shad was taken
from a fish hawk near Great Eee Harbour, on which he had
begun to regale himself, and had already ate a considerable
portion of it; the remainder weighed six pounds. Another
fish hawk was passing Mr Beasley’s, at the same place, with
a large flounder in his grasp, which struggled and shook him
so, that he dropt it on the shore. The flounder was picked
up, and served the whole family for dinner. It is singular
that the hawk never descends to pick up a fish which he
happens to drop, either on the land or on the water. There
is a kind of abstemious dignity in this habit of the hawk,
superior to the gluttonous voracity displayed by most other
birds of prey, particularly by the bald eagle, whose piratical
robberies committed on the present species, have been already

fully detailed in treating of his history. The hawk, however, in
VOL. Il. H

114 FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY.

his fishing pursuits, sometimes mistakes his mark, or over-
rates his strength, by striking fish too large and powerful for
him to manage, by whom he is suddenly dragged under; and,
though he sometimes succeeds in extricating himself, after
being taken three or four times down, yet oftener both parties
perish. The bodies of sturgeon, and several other large fish,
with that of a fish hawk fast grappled in them, have, at differ-
ent times, been found dead on the shore, cast up by the waves.

The fish hawk is doubtless the most numerous of all its
genus within the United States. It penetrates far into the
interior of the country up our large rivers, and their head
waters. It may be said to line the sea-coast from Georgia to
Canada. In some parts I have counted, at one view, more
than twenty of their nests within halfa mile. Mr Gardiner
informs me, that, on the small island on which he resides,
there are at least “three hundred nests of fish hawks that
have young, which, on an average, consume probably not less
than six hundred fish daily.” Before they depart in the
autumn, they regularly repair their nests, carrying up sticks,
sods, &c., fortifying them against the violence of the winter
storms, which, from this circumstance, they would seem to
foresee and expect. But, notwithstanding all their precau-
tions, they frequently, on their return in spring, find them
lying in ruins around the roots of the tree; and sometimes
the iree itself has shared the same fate. When a number of
hawks, to the amount of twenty or upwards, collect together
on one tree, making a loud squealing noise, there is generally
a nest built soon after on the same tree. Probably this con-
gressional assembly were settling the right of the new pair to
the premises ; or it might be a kind of wedding, or joyous
festive meeting on the occasion. They are naturally of a mild
and peaceable disposition, living together in great peace and
harmony ; for though with them, as in the best regulated
communities, instances of attack and robbery occur among
themselves, yet these instances are extremely rare. Mr
Gardiner observes, that they are sometimes seen high in the

FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY. IIS

air, sailing and cutting strange gambols, with loud vociferations,
darting down several hundred feet perpendicular, frequently
with part of a fish in one claw, which they seem proud of, and
to claim high hook, as the fishermen call him who takes the
greatest number. On these occasions, they serve as a baro-
meter to foretell the changes of the atmosphere ; for, when the
fish hawks are seen thus sailing high in air, in circles, it is
universally believed to prognosticate a change of weather,
often a thunder storm, in a few hours. On the faith of the
certainty of these signs, the experienced coaster wisely pre-
pares for the expected storm, and is rarely mistaken.

There is one singular trait in the character of this bird,
which is mentioned in treating of the purple grakle, and which
I have since had many opportunities of witnessing. The
grakles, or crow blackbirds, are permitted by the fish hawk
to build their nests among the interstices of the sticks of
which his own is constructed,—several pairs of grakles taking
up their abode there, like humble vassals around the castle of
their chief, laying, hatching their young, and living together
in mutual harmony. I have found no less than four of these
nests clustered around the sides of the former, and a fifth
fixed on the nearest branch of the adjoining tree; as if the
proprietor of this last, unable to find an unoccupied corner on
the premises, had been anxious to share, as much as possible,
the company and protection of this generous bird.

The fish hawk is twenty-two inches in length, and five feet
three inches in extent; the bill is deep black, the upper as
well as lower cere (for the base of the lower mandible has a
loose moveable skin), and also the sides of the mouth, from the
nostrils backwards, are light blue; crown and hind head pure
white, front streaked with brown ; through the eye, a bar of
dark blackish brown passes to the neck behind, which, as well
as the whole upper parts, is deep brown, the edges of the
feathers lighter; shafts of the wing-quills, brownish white ;
tail, slightly rounded, of rather a paler brown than the body,
crossed with eight bars of very dark brown; the wings, when

116 FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY.

shut, extend about an inch beyond the tail, and are nearly
black towards the tips; the inner vanes of both quill and
tail-feathers are whitish, barred with brown; whole lower
parts, pure white, except the thighs, which are covered with
short plumage, and streaked down the fore part with pale
brown; the legs and feet are a very pale light blue, prodi-
giously strong and disproportionably large; they are covered
with flat scales of remarkable strength and thickness, resem-
bling, when dry, the teeth of a large rasp, particularly on
the soles, intended, no doubt, to enable the bird to seize with
more security his slippery prey; the thighs are long, the legs
short, feathered a little below the knee, and, as well as the feet
and claws, large; the latter hooked into semicircles, black, and
very sharp pointed ; the iris of the eye, a fiery yellow orange.

The female is full two inches longer ; the upper part of the
head, of a less pure white, and the brown streaks on the front
spreading more over the crown; the throat and upper part
of the breast are also dashed with large blotches of a pale
brown, and the bar passing through the eye, not of so dark a
brown. ‘The toes of both are exceedingly strong and warty,
and the hind claw a full inch anda quarter in diameter. The
feathers on the neck and hind head are long and narrow, and
generally erected when the bird is irritated, resembling those
of the eagle. The eye is destitute of the projecting bone
common to most of the falcon tribe; the nostril, large, and of
a curving triangular shape. On dissection, the two glands on
the rump, which supply the bird with oil for lubricating its
feathers to protect them from the wet, were found to be
remarkably large, capable, when opened, of admitting the end
of the finger, and contained a large quantity of white greasy
matter, and some pure yellow oil; the gall was in small
quantity. The numerous convolutions and length of the in-
testines surprised me; when carefully extended, they measured
within an inch or two of nine feet, and were no thicker than
those of arobin! ‘The crop, or craw, was middle sized, and
contained a nearly dissolved fish ; the stomach was a large

FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY. 1007/

oblong pouch, capable of considerable distension, and was also
filled with half-digested fish: no appearance of a muscular
gizzard.

By the descriptions of European naturalists, it would
appear that this bird, or one near akin to it, is a native of
the eastern continent in summer, as far north as Siberia ; the
bald buzzard of Turton almost exactly agreeing with the pre-
sent species in size, colour, and manners, with the exception
of its breeding or making its nest among the reeds, instead
of on trees. Mr Bewick, who has figured and described the
female of this bird under the appellation of the osprey, says,
that “it builds on the ground, among reeds, and lays three or:
four eggs, of an elliptical form, rather less than those of a
hen.” This difference of habit may be owing to particular
local circumstances, such deviations being usual among many
of our native birds. ‘The Italians are said to compare its
descent upon the water to a piece of lead falling upon that
element ; and distinguish it by the name of Aquila plumbina,
or the leaden eagle. In the United States it is everywhere
denominated the fish hawk, or fishing hawk, a name truly
expressive of its habits.

The regular arrival of this noted bird at the vernal equinox
when the busy season of fishing commences, adds peculiar
interest to its first appearance, and procures it many a
benediction from the fisherman. With the following lines,
illustrative of these circumstances, I shall conclude its
history :—

Soon as the sun, great ruler of the year,

Bends to our northern climes his bright career,
And from the caves of ocean calls from sleep
The finny shoals and myriads of the deep ;
When freezing tempests back to Greenland ride,
And day and night the equal hours divide ;
True to the season, o’er our sea-beat shore,

The sailing osprey high is seen to soar,

With broad unmoving wing; and, circling slow,
Marks each loose straggler in the deep below -

118

FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY.

Sweeps down like lightning! plunges with a roar !
And bears his struggling victim to the shore.

The long-housed fisherman beholds with joy,
The well-known signals of his rough employ ;
And, as he bears his nets and oars along,

Thus hails the welcome season with a song :—

THE FISHERMAN’S HYMN.

The osprey sails above the sound,
The geese are gone, the gulls are flying;
The herring shoals swarm thick around,
The nets are launch’d, the boats are plying;
Yo, ho, my hearts! let’s seek the deep,
Raise high the song, and cheerly wish her,
Still as the bending net we sweep,
“‘ God bless the fish hawk and the fisher !”

She brings us fish—she brings us spring,
Good times, fair weather, warmth, and plenty,
Fine store of shad, trout, herring, ling,
Sheepshead, and drum, and old-wives dainty.
Yo, ho, my heart! let’s seek the deep,
Ply every oar, and cheerly wish her,
Still as the bending net we sweep,
“* God bless the fish hawk and the fisher ! ”

She rears her young on yonder tree,
She leaves her faithful mate to mind ’em ;
Like us, for fish, she sails to sea,
And, plunging, shews us where to find ’em.
Yo, ho, my hearts ! let’s seek the deep,
Ply every oar, and cheerly wish her,
While the slow bending net we sweep,
“God bless the fish hawk and the fisher! ”

FISH CROW. 119

FISH CROW. (Corvus ossifragus.)
PLATE XXXVII.—Fie 2.

Peale’s Museum, No. 1369.

CORVUS OSSIFRAGUS.—WILtSsON.”
Corvus ossifragus, Bonap. Synop. p. 57.

Tus is another roving inhabitant of our sea-coasts, ponds, and
river shores, though a much less distinguished one than the
preceding, this being the first time, as far as I can learn, that
he has ever been introduced to the notice of the world.

I first met with this species on the sea-coasts of Georgia, and
observed that they regularly retired to the interior as evening
approached, and came down to the shores of the river
Savannah by the first appearance of day. Their voice first
attracted my notice, being very different from that of the
common crow, more hoarse and guttural, uttered as if some-
thing stuck in their throat, and varied into several modulations
as they flew along. Their manner of flying was also unlike
the others, as they frequently sailed about, without flapping
the wings, something in the manner of the raven; and I soon
perceived that their food, and their mode of procuring it, were
also both different: their favourite haunts being about the
banks of the river, along which they usually sailed, dexterously

* This is a very curious bird, first named and described by our author.
It is one of the predacious species, with the nostrils clothed with
feathers, and seems to feed nearly alone on fish or reptiles, doing almost
no harm tothe husbandman. In the latter circumstance, it resembles
also our carrion crow, which often kills the common frog; and last
summer I observed one flying with an adder in his bill. He had
caught it on a detached piece of muir, and, on my approach, rose, tak-
ing the prey along with him, most probably before it was sufficiently
despatched, as the writhings of the reptile caused him to alight several
times at short distances, before being perfectly at ease. Being on horse-
back, I could not follow to see the end of the engagement. The species
seems peculiar to the coast of North America, and does not extend very
far northward.— Ep,

120 FISH CROW.

snatching up, with their claws, dead fish, or other garbage,
that floated on the surface. At the country seat of Stephen
Elliot, Esq., near the Ogechee river, I took notice of these
crows frequently perching on the backs of the cattle, like the
magpie and jackdaw of Britain; but never mingling with
the common crows and differing from them in this particular,
that the latter generally retire to the shore, the reeds, and
marshes, to roost, while the fish crow always, a little before
sunset, seeks the interior high woods to repose in.

On my journey through the Mississippi territory last year, I
resided for some time at the seat of my hospitable friend
Dr Samuel Brown, a few miles from Fort Adams, on the
Mississippi. In my various excursions there, among the
lofty fragrance-breathing magnolia woods and magnificent
scenery that adorn the luxuriant face of nature in those
southern regions, this species of crow frequently made its
appearance, distinguished by the same voice and habits it had
in Georgia. There is, in many of the ponds there, a singular
kind of lizard, that swims about with its head above the sur-
face, making a loud sound, not unlike the harsh jarring of a
door. These the crow now before us would frequently seize
with his claws, as he flew along the surface, and retire to the
summit of a dead tree to enjoy his repast. Here I also ob-
served him a pretty constant attendant at the pens where the
cows were usually milked, and much less shy, less suspicious,
and more solitary than the common crow. In the county of
Cape May, New Jersey, I again met with these crows, par-
ticularly along Egg Harbour river; and latterly on the
Schuylkill and Delaware, near Philadelphia, during the season
of shad and herring fishing, viz., from the middle of March till
the beginning of June. A small party of these crows, during
this period, regularly passed Mr Bartram’s gardens to the
high woods to roost, every evening a little before sunset, and
as regularly returned, at or before sunrise every morning,
directing their course towards the river. The fishermen
along these rivers also inform me, that they have parti-

FISH CROW. I21

cularly remarked this crow by his croaking voice, and his
fondness for fish; almost always hovering about their fishing
places to glean up the refuse. Of their manner of breeding
I can only say, that they separate into pairs, and build in
tall trees near the sea or river shore; one of their nests
having been built this season in a piece of tall woods near
Mr Beasley’s at Great Egg Harbour. The male of this nest
furnished me with the figure in the plate, which was drawn
of full size, and afterwards reduced to one-third the size of life,
to correspond with the rest of the figures on the same plate.
From the circumstance of six or seven being usually seen
here together in the month of July, it is probable that they
have at least four or five young at a time.

Ican find no description of this species by any former
writer. Mr Bartram mentions a bird of this tribe which he
calls the great sea-side crow ; but the present species is con-
siderably inferior in size to the common crow, and having
myself seen and examined it in so many and_ remotely
situated parts of the country, and found it in all these places
alike, I have no hesitation in pronouncing it to be a new and
hitherto undescribed species.

The fish crow is sixteen inches long, and thirty-three in ex-
tent; black all over, with reflections of steel-blue and purple ;
the chin is bare of feathers around the base of the lower
mandible; upper mandible notched near the tip, the edges of
both turned inwards about the middle; eye, very small,
placed near the corner of the mouth, and of a dark hazel
colour; recumbent hairs or bristles, large and long; ear-
feathers, prominent ; first primary, little more than half the
length, fourth the longest ; wings, when shut, reach within
two inches of the tip of the tail; tail, rounded, and seven
inches long from its insertion; thighs, very long; legs, stout ;
claws, sharp, long and hooked, hind one the largest, all jet
black. Male and female much alike.

I would beg leave to recommend to the watchful farmers
of the United States, that, in their honest indignation against

122 RINGED PLOVER.

the common crow, they would spare the present species, and
not shower destruction indiscriminately on their black friends
and enemies; at least on those who sometimes plunder them,
and those who never molest or injure their property.

RINGED PLOVER. (Charadrius hiaticula.)
PLATE XXXVII.—Fie. 3.

Lath. Syn. v. p. 201. 8.—Arct. Zool. ii. No. 401.—Petit pluvier, 4 Collier, Buff.
viii. p. 90. 6, Pl. end. 921.—Pluvialis torquato minor, Briss. v. p. 63. 8. t. 5.
f. 2.—Turt. Syst. p. 411. 2.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4150.

CHARADRIUS MELODUS.—Orp.*

Charadrius melodus, Bonap. Synop. p. 296.—Charadrius Okenii? Wagl. Syst.
Av. No. 24.

Ir was not altogether consistent with my original plan, to
introduce any of the grallee, or waders, until I had advanced
nearer to a close with the land birds; but as the scenery here
seemed somewhat appropriate, I have taken the liberty of
placing in it two birds, reduced to one-third of their natural
size, both being varieties of their respective species, each of
which will appear in their proper places, in some future part
of this work, in full size, and in their complete plumage.

* This little plover has proved to be one of those very closely allied
species so difficult of distinction, without a comparison with its congeners.
The present figure is in the adult spring dress, and will be again repre-
sented by Bonaparte in that of autumn, in our third volume. The syno-
nyms of Wilson are, of course, erroneous. Those also of Temminck,
quoted in his Manual, and the observations on Wilson’s plate and de-
scription, must share a similar fate. The observations in the nomencla-
ture of Wilson, by the Prince of Musignano, will best explain how this
species ought to stand. “C. hiaticula was at first given by Wilson as a
variety, of which he intended to describe the type in a future volume ;
but when he did so in his seventh volume, he clearly and positively
pointed out the difference in markings, habits, migration, voice, &c.,
between the two, which he then considered as distinct species, but with-
out applying a new name ; and we have no doubt that, if he had made
out the index himself, he would then have supplied the deficiency, as he
had before done in respect to some land birds, Mr Ord supplied this
void, by calling it C. melodus.”—Eb.

RINGED PLOVER. 123

The ringed plover is very abundant on the low sandy shores
of our whole sea-coast during summer. They run, or rather
seem to glide, rapidly along the surface of the flat sands, fre-
quently spreading out their wings and tail like a fan, and
fluttering along, to draw or entice one away from their nests.
These are formed with little art, being merely shallow con-
cavities dug in the sand, in which the eggs are laid, and,
during the day at least, left to the influence of the sun to
hatch them. ‘The parents, however, always remain near the
spot to protect them from injury, and probably, in cold, rainy,
or stormy weather, to shelter them with their bodies. The eggs
are three, sometimes four, large for the bird, of a dun clay
colour,and marked with numerous small spots of reddish purple.

The voice of these little birds, as they move along the sand,
is soft and musical, consisting of a single plaintive note occa-
sionally repeated. As you approach near their nests, they
seem to court your attention, and, the moment they think you
observe them, they spread out their wings and tail, dragging
themselves along, and imitating the squeaking of young birds;
if you turn from them, they immediately resume their proper
posture, until they have again caught your eye, when they
display the same attempts at deception as before. A flat, dry,
sandy beach, just beyond the reach of the summer tides, is
their favourite place for breeding.

This species is subject to great variety of change in its
plumage. In the month of July, I found most of those that
were breeding on Summers's Beach, at the mouth of Great
fige Harbour, such as I have here figured; but, about the
beginning or middle of October, they had become much darker
above, and their plumage otherwise varied. They were then
collected in flocks; their former theatrical and deceptive
manoeuvres seemed all forgotten. ‘They appeared more active
than before, as well as more silent, alighting within a short
distance of one, and feeding about without the least appearance
of suspicion. At the commencement of winter, they all go off
towards the south.

124 LITTLE SANDPIPER.

This variety of the ringed plover is seven inches long, and
fourteen in extent ; the bill is reddish yellow for half its length,
and black at the extremity ; the front and whole lower parts,
pure white, except the side of the breast, which is marked
with a curving streak of black, another spot of black bounding
the front above; back and upper parts, very pale brown,
inclining to ashy white, and intermixed with white; wings,
pale brown; greater coverts, broadly tipt with white; interior
edges of the secondaries, and outer edges of the primaries,
white, and tipt with brown; tail, nearly even, the lower half
white, brown towards the extremity, the outer feather pure
white, the next white, with a single spot of black; eye, black
and full, surrounded by a narrow ring of yellow; legs, reddish
yellow ; claws, black; lower side of the wings, pure white.

LITTLE SANDPIPER. (Lringa pusilla.)
PLATE XXXVII.—Fic. 4,

Lath. Syn. v. p. 184. 32.—Arect. Zool. ii. No. 397.—Cinclus dominicensis minor.
Briss. vy. p. 222. 13. t. 25. f. 2.—Turt. Syst. p. 410.—Peale’s Museum, No.
4138.

TRINGA MINUTILLA ?—V1eI11or.*
Tringa pusilla, Bonap. Synop. p. 319.

Tuts is the least of its tribe in this part of the world, and in
its mode of flight has much more resemblance to the snipe
than to the sandpiper. It is migratory, departing early in
October for the south. It resides chiefly among the sea
marshes, and feeds among the mud at low water; springs
with a zigzag irregular flight, and a feeble twit. It is not
altogether confined to the neighbourhood of the sea, for I have
found several of them on the shores of the Schuylkill, in the
month of August. In October, immediately before they go

* The Prince of Musignano considers this species peculiar to America ;
that it is different from the 7. minuta and Temminckii of Europe, and.
that it is not the Linnean T. pusilla. If the latter opinion be correct,

pusilla cannot be retained, and I have added with a query the name given
to it by Vieillot.—Eb,

Engrave

wr.

4. Bank S$.

5.White pellied S.

?. Fematse

Swallow

BARN SWALLOW. 125

away, they are usually very fat. Their nests or particular
breeding places I have not been able to discover.

This minute species is found in Europe, and also at Nootka
Sound, on the western coast of America. Length, five inches
and a half; extent, eleven inches; bill and legs, brownish
black; upper part of the breast, gray brown, mixed with
white; back and upper parts, black; the whole plumage
above, broadly edged with bright bay and yellow ochre;
primaries, black; greater coverts, the same, tipt with white ;
eye, small, dark hazel; tail, rounded, the four exterior feathers
on each side, dull white, the rest, dark brown ; tertials, as long
as the primaries ; head above, dark brown, with paler edges ;
over the eye, a streak of whitish; belly and vent, white; the
bill is thick at the base, and very slender towards the point ;
the hind toe, small. In some specimens the legs were of a
dirty yellowish colour. Sides of the rump, white; just below
the greater coverts, the primaries are crossed with white.

Very little difference could be perceived between the plumage
of the males and females, The bay on the edges of the back
and scapulars was rather brighter in the male, and the brown
deeper.

BARN SWALLOW. (Hirundo Americana.)
PLATE XXXVIII.—Fic. 1. Mae; Fic. 2. FemMaue,

Peale’s Museum, No. 7609.

HIRUNDO AMERICANA ?—Witson.*
Hirundo rufa, Bonap. Synop. p. 64.— Hirundo Americana, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 329.

Tere are but few persons in the United States unacquainted
with this gay, innocent, and active little bird. Indeed the
whole tribe are so distinguished from the rest of small birds

* Wilson at once perceived the difference between the present species,
and, as it is commonly called, the “chimney swallow” of Europe, though
many of his contemporaries considered them only as varieties. The
Prince of Musignano has, however, considered it as previously described

126 BARN SWALLOW.

by their sweeping rapidity of flight, their peculiar aérial evolu-
tions of wing over our fields and rivers, and through our very
streets, from morning to night, that the light of heaven itself,

by Latham under the title of H. rufa, and again figured as the same by
Vieillot.

The authors of the “ Northern Zoology” have again appended the
following note to their notice of the bird ; and, in the uncertainty, we
have chosen to retain Wilson’s original name, until the species is really
determined from authentic specimens.

“Tt appears to us very doubtful whether the Hirondelle a ventre roux
de Cayenne of Buffon (Hd. Sonn. xix. p. 35), of which methodists have
made their Hirundo rufa, is really the same as the H. Americana of
Wilson, From the evidence we at present have, we are disposed to con-
sider them distinct. The only authentic account of the cayenne species
is that given by Buffon, which all the compilers have since copied. From
this, it appears to be only five znches and a half long (French measure 2),
ours is fully seven. The front is whitish (le front blanchdtre ); ours is
very deep rufous, But the most remarkable difference between the birds
is in the construction of their nests,—the cayenne bird building one
without mud, and so long as sometimes to measure a foot and a half, with
an opening near the bottom; the Americana of Wilson, on the contrary,
using a good deal of mud; the length is only seven inches, and the open-
ing at top, with an external rim, for the parents occasionally to sit upon.
Until this matter is investigated, we cannot suppose that individuals of
the same species would, in different countries, build their nests in such
very dissimilar ways.”

It appears to be exclusively American, and migrates from north
to south, and the reverse. There is a great resemblance between the
two species ; but they may be at once distinguished by the pure white
and the rich chestnut which clothes the under parts of each, and they
would seem to be another of those representing forms which are so fre-
quent, and run so closely in colour and habits through both continents.

Wilson, when mentioning the distinction of this species, includes a
difference in habit, from our species building in chimneys, and not in
barns, like the American. Chimneys are by no means the common
building place of the British swallow, although those in the neighbour-
hood of towns may use that resort for want of another, in the same way
that those in a mining country use the neglected shafts, In the country,
barns, shades of thrashing mills, or any outhouse with an open door or
window, under the portico of a front door, are their constant building-
place ; and although houses in the country have chimneys as well as
those in town, they are very seldom, if ever, resorted to. Their nests
are also of the same structure and materials, built with clay mingled

BARN SWALLOW. . 127

the sky, the trees, or any other common objects of Nature,
are not better known than the swallows. We welcome their
first appearance with delight, as the faithful harbingers and

with straw, and lined with feathers, placed against a rafter, beam, or
wall, and open at top.! The eggs also very similar.

Bewick mentions a curious instance of variation, which may be also
taken as a strong proof of the annual return of birds to the same build-
ing-places. “At Cameston Hall, near Bath, a pair of swallows built
their nests on the upper part of the frame of an old picture over the
chimney—coming in through a broken pane in the window of the room.
They came three years successively, and, in all probability, would have
continued to do so, if the room had not been put into repair, which pre-
vented their access to it.”

Swallows have been divided into various genera, as might be supposed
from their being commonly indicated swallows, swifts, or martins. Some
form among these are found in almost every country, except as we ap-
proach the poles; and in North America, where the whole Hirundinide
will be comprised in six individuals, we have two real swallows, two
martins, the very strongly formed purple swallow, and the representa-
tive of the swifts in Chetura pelasgica. These will come under observa-
tion as we proceed. The present, with the republican, or cliff swallow,
figured by Bonaparte in his continuation, with that of Europe, are true
forms of Hirundo, one which possesses great activity, though not so much
strength in flight as the swifts, but which will show the more exact
relative proportion of power between the members. They are very
generally distributed, have the wings long, and the tail forked; the only
form where these members are more extended, is in the genus Macrop-
teri, lately formed by Mr Swainson from an Indian group, which will
perhaps show the farthest development of the wings and tail, but which
bear the same disproportion as in the broad-shaped and sickle-winged
humming birds. In all their various flights, the motions are conducted
with great celerity and elegance, and are directed by the rapid motion
of the tail.

The subject of their migrations, which I believe takes place with all
species, and in all countries, has occupied much speculation ; of the fact
there can now be no doubt, and the collection of vast crowds together
before departure, seems more confined to this form than to any of the
others ; so far, at least, as my own observation has extended. The
American species congregate ; so do the republican swallows; and
towards the end of August, our own may be seen daily in flocks, on the

1 According to Professor Rennie, it is called, in Sweden, Ladu Swala, barn
swallow; while, in the south of Europe, where chimneys are rare, it builds in
gateways, porches, and galleries,

128 BARN SWALLOW.

companions of flowery spring and ruddy summer ; and when,
after a long, frost-bound, and boisterous winter, we hear it
announced, that “‘ the swallows are come,” what a train of
charming ideas are associated with the simple tidings!

house tops or cornices, on railings, or on a bare tree, where the later
broods are still fed and exercised by the parents, and the southern jour-
ney of the whole mass, as it were, delayed until all had required suffi-
cient strength.

At times, these congregations are much greater than at others, or like
some great assemblage from the neighbouring country. One of these
took place in 1815 near Rotherham, and has been made the subject of
an anonymous pamphlet, by a clergyman in that neighbourhood. The
assemblage and departure is thus described in it :—“ Early in the
month of September 1815, the swallows, that beautiful and social tribe
of the feathered race, began to assemble in the neighbourhood of Rother-
ham, at the willow ground, on the banks of the canal, preparatory to
their migration to a warmer climate ; and their numbers were daily
augmented, until they became a vast flock, which no man could easily
number. Thousands upon thousands—tens of thousands—and myriads;
so great, indeed, that the spectator would almost have concluded, the
whole swallow race were there collected in one huge host.

“Tt was their manner, while there, to rise from the willows in the ~
morning, a little before six o’clock, when their thick columns literally
darkened the sky. Their divisions were then into four, five, and some-
times into six grand wings, each of these filing and taking a different
route,—one east, another west, another south ; as if not only to be
equally dispersed throughout the country, to provide food for their
numerous troops, but also to collect with them whatever of their fellows,
or straggling parties, might still be left behind.

“Tn the evening, about five o’clock, they began to return to their
station, and continued coming in from all quarters, until nearly dark.
It was here that you might see them go through their various aerial
evolutions, in many a sportive ring and airy gambol, strengthening
their pinions in these playful feats, for their long ethereal journey, as
they cut the air and frolicked in the last beams of the setting sun, or
lightly skimmed the surface of the glassy pool.

“The verdant enamel of summer had given place to the warm and
mellow tints of autumn. The leaves were now fast falling from their
branches, while the naked tops of many of the trees appeared. The
golden sheaves were safely lodged in the barns, and the reapers had
shouted their harvest-home. Frosty and misty mornings succeeded, the
certain presages of the approach of winter. They were omens under-
stood by the swallows, as signals for their march ; and on the morning

BARN SWALLOW, 129

--The wonderful activity displayed by these birds forms a
striking constrast to the slow habits of most other animals,
It may be fairly questioned whether, among the whole fea-
thered tribes which Heaven has formed to adorn this part
of creation, there be any that, in the same space of time, pass
over an equal extent of surface with the swallow. Let a person
take his stand, on a fine summer evening, by a new-mown
field, meadow, or river shore, for a short time, and among
the numerous individuals of this tribe that flit before him,
fix his eye on a particular one, and follow for a while all
its circuitous labyrinths—its extensive sweeps—its sudden,
rapidly reiterated zigzag excursions, little inferior to the light-
ning itself,—and then attempt, by the powers of mathematics,
to calculate the length of the various lines it describes. Alas!
even his omnipotent fluxions would avail him little here, and
he would soon abandon the task in despair. Yet, that some
definite conception may be formed of this extent, let us suppose
that this little bird flies, in his usual way, at the rate of one
mile in a minute, which, from the many experiments I have
made, I believe to be within the truth ; and that he is so en-
gaged for ten hours every day; and further, that this active
life is extended to ten years (many of our small birds being
known to live much longer, even in a state of domestication),
the amount of all these, allowing three hundred and sixty-five
days to a year, would give us two million one hundred and
ninety thousand miles; upwards of eighty-seven times the cir-
cumference of the globe! Yet this little winged seraph, if I
may so speak, who, in a few days, and at will, can pass from
the borders of the arctic regions to the torrid zone, is forced,
when winter approaches, to descend to the bottoms of lakes,
rivers, and mill-ponds, to bury itself in the mud with eels and
snapping turtles, or to creep ingloriously into a cavern, a rat-
hole, or a hollow tree, there to doze, with snakes, toads, and
of the 7th of October, their mighty army broke up their encampment,

debouched from their retreat, rising, covered the heavens with their

legions, and, directed by an unerring guide, took their trackless way.”
—Ep.
VOL. II. i

130 BARN SWALLOW.

other reptiles, until the return of spring! Is not this true, ye
wise men of Europe and America, who have published so many
credible narratives on this subject? The geese, the ducks,
the cat bird, and even the wren, which creeps about our out-
houses in summer like a mouse, are all acknowledged to be
migratory, and to pass to southern regions at the approach of
winter: the swallow alone, on whom Heaven has conferred
superior powers of wing, must sink in torpidity at the bottom
of our rivers, or doze all winter in the caverns of the earth. I
am myself something of a traveller, and foreign countries afford
many novel sights: should I assert, that in some of my pere-
grinations I had met with a nation of Indians, all of whom, old
and young, at the commencement of cold weather, descend to
the bottom of their lakes and rivers, and there remain until the
breaking up of frost; nay, should I affirm, that thousands of
people, in the neighbourhood of this city, regularly undergo
the same semi-annual submersion—that I myself had fished
up a whole family of these from the bottom of Schuylkill,
where they had lain ¢orpzd all winter, carried them home, and
brought them all comfortably to themselves again ; should I
even publish this in the learned pages of the Zransactions of
our Philosophical Society,—who would believe me? Is, then,
the organisation of a swallow less delicate than that of a man ?
Can a bird, whose vital functions are destroyed by a short pri-
vation of pure air and its usual food, sustain, for six months,
a situation where the most robust man would perish in a few
hours or minutes? Away with such absurdities! they are
unworthy of a serious refutation. I should be pleased to meet
with a man who has been personally more conversant with
birds than myself, who has followed them in their wide and
devious routes—studied their various manners—mingled with
and marked their peculiarities more than I have done; yet
the miracle of a resuscitated swallow, in the depth of winter,
from the bottom of a mill-pond, is, I confess, a phenomenon in
ornithology that I have never met with.

What better evidence have we that these fleet-winged tribes,

BARN SWALLOW. 131

instead of following the natural and acknowledged migrations
of many other birds, lie torpid all winter in hollow trees, caves,
and other subterraneous recesses ? That the chimney swallow,
in the early part of summer, may have been found in a
hollow tree, and in great numbers too, is not denied; such
being, in some places of the country (as will be shown in the
history of that species), their actual places of rendezvous on
their first arrival, and their common roosting place long
after: or that the bank swallows, also, soon after their
arrival, in the early part of spring, may be chilled by the
cold mornings which we frequently experience at that season,
and be found in this state in their holes, I would as little
dispute ; but that either the one or the other has ever been
found, in the midst of winter, in a state of torprdity, I
do not—cannot believe. Millions of trees, of all dimensions,
are cut down every fall and winter of this country, where, in
their proper season, swallows swarm around us. Is it, there-
fore, in the least probable that we should, only once or twice
in an age, have no other evidence than one or two solitary and
very suspicious reports of a Mr Somebody having made a
discovery of this kind? If caves were their places of winter
retreat, perhaps no country on earth could supply them with
a greater choice. I have myself explored many of these, in
various parts of the United States, both in winter and in spring,
particularly in that singular tract of country in Kentucky
called the Barrens, where some of these subterraneous caverns
are several miles in length, lofty and capacious, and pass
under a large and deep river—have conversed with the salt-
petre workers by whom they are tenanted; but never heard
or met with one instance of a swallow having been found there
in winter. ‘These people treated such reports with ridicule.
It is to be regretted that a greater number of experiments
have not been made, by keeping live swallows through the
winter, to convince these believers in the torpidity of birds of
their mistake. That class of cold-blooded animals which are
known to become torpid during winter, and of which hun-

ey) BARN SWALLOW.

dreds and thousands are found every season, are subject to the
same when kept in a suitable room for experiment. How is
it with the swallows in this respect? Much powerful testi-
mony might be produced on this point: the following experi-
ments, recently made by Mr James Pearson of London, and
communicated by Sir John Trevelyan, Bart., to Mr Bewick, the
celebrated engraver in wood, will be sufficient for our present
purpose, and throw great light on this part of the subject.*

_ “Five or six of these birds were taken about the latter end
of Aucust 1784, in a bat fowling-net at night. They were
put separately into small cages, and fed with nightingale’s
food : in about a week or ten days, they took food of them-
selves ; they were then put all together into a deep cage, four
feet long, with gravel at the bottom; a broad shallow pan,
with water, was placed in it, in which they sometimes washed
themselves, and seemed much strengthened by it. One day
Mr Pearson observed that they went into the water with
unusual eagerness, hurrying in and out again repeatedly with
such swiftness as if they had been suddenly seized with a
frenzy. Being anxious to see the result, he left them to
themselves about half an hour, and, going to the cage again,
found them all huddled together in a corner, apparently dead;
the cage was then placed at a proper distance from the fire,
when only two of them recovered, and were as healthy as
before: the rest died. The two remaining ones were allowed
to wash themselves occasionally for a short time only; but
their feet soon after became swelled and inflamed, which Mr
Pearson attributed to their perching, and they died about
Christmas. Thus the first year’s experiment was in some
measure lost. Not discouraged by the failure of this, Mr
Pearson determined to make a second trial the succeeding
year, from a strong desire of being convinced of the truth of
their going into a state of torpidity. Accordingly, the next
season, having taken some more birds, he put them into the
cage, and in every respect pursued the same methods as with

* See Bewick’s British Birds, vol. i. p. 254.

BARN SWALLOID. 133

the last ; but, to guard their feet from the bad effects of the
damp and cold, he covered the perches with flannel, and had
the pleasure to observe that the birds throve extremely well;
they sang their song during the winter, and, soon after
Christmas, began to moult, which they got through without
any difficulty, and lived three or four years, regularly moulting
every year at the usual time. On the renewal of their
feathers, it appeared that their tails were forked exactly the
same as in those birds which return hither in the spring, and
in every respect their appearance was the same. These birds,
says Mr Pearson, were exhibited to the Society for Promoting
Natural History, on the 14th day of February 1786, at the
time they were in a deep moult, during a severe frost, when
the snow was on the ground. Minutes of this circumstance
were entered in the books of the society. These birds died
at last from neglect, during a long illness which Mr Pearson
had: they died in the summer. Mr Pearson concludes his
very interesting account in these words :—‘20th January
1797—I have now in my house, No. 21 Great Newport Street,
Long Acre, four swallows in moult,-in as perfect health as
any bird ever appeared to be when moulting.’”

The barn swallow of the United States has hitherto been
considered by many writers as the same with the common
chimney swallow of Europe. They differ, however, consider-
ably in colour, as well as in habits; the European species
having the belly and vent white, the American species those
parts of a bright chestnut ; the former building in the corners
of chimneys, near the top, the latter never in such places;
but usually in barns, sheds, and other outhouses, on beams,
braces, rafters, &c. It is difficult to reconcile these constant
differences of manners and markings in one and the same
bird; I shall therefore take the liberty of considering the
present as a separate and distinct species.

“The barn swallow arrives in this part of Pennsylvania
from the south on the last week in March or the first week
in April, and passes on to the north, as far,.at least, as the

134 BARN SWALLOW.

river St Lawrence. On the east side of the great range of
the Alleghany, they are dispersed very generally over the
country, wherever there are habitations, even to the summit
of high mountains; but, on account of the greater coldness
of such situations, are usually a week or two later in
making their appearance there. On the 16th of May, being
on a shooting expedition on the top of Pocano Mountain,
Northampton, when the ice on that and on several successive
mornings was more than a quarter of an inch thick, I
observed with surprise a pair of these swallows which had
taken up their abode on a miserable cabin there. It was then
about sunrise, the ground white with hoar frost, and the male
was twittering on the roof by the side of his mate with great
sprightliness. ‘The man of the house told me that a single
pair came regularly there every season, and built their nest
on a projecting beam under the eaves, about six or seven feet
from the ground. At the bottom of the mountain, in a large
barn belonging to the tavern there, I counted upwards of
twenty nests, all seemingly occupied. In the woods they are
never met with; but, as you approach a farm, they soon catch
the eye, cutting their gambols in the air. Scarcely a barn,
to which these birds can find access, is without them ; and, as
public feeling is universally in their favour, they are seldom
or never disturbed. The proprietor of the barn last men-
tioned, a German, assured me that if a man permitted the
swallows to be shot, his cows would give bloody milk, and
also that no barn where swallows frequented would ever be
struck with lightning; and I nodded assent. When the
tenets of superstition ‘‘lean to the side of humanity,” one
can readily respect them. On the west side of the Alleghany |
these birds become more rare. In travelling through the
States of Kentucky and Tennessee, from Lexington to the
‘Tennessee river, in the months of April and May, I did not see
a single individual of this species; though the purple martin,
and, in some places, the bank swallow, was numerous.

Early in May they begin to build. From the size and

BARN SWALLOW. 135

structure of the nest, it is nearly a week before it is com-
pletely finished. One of these nests, taken on the 21st of
June from the rafter to which it was closely attached, is
now lying before me. It is in the form of an inverted cone,
with a perpendicular section cut off on that side by which it
adhered to the wood. At the top it has an extension of the
edge or offset, for the male or female to sit on occasionally, as
appeared by the dung; the upper diameter was about six
inches by five, the height externally seven inches. This
shell is formed of mud, mixed with fine hay, as plasterers
do their mortar with hair, to make it adhere the better; the
mud seems to have been placed in regular strata or layers,
from side to side; the hollow of this cone (the shell of which
is about an inch in thickness) is filled with fine hay, well
stuffed in; above that is laid a handful of very large downy
geese feathers. The eggs are five, white, specked, and spotted
all over with reddish brown. Owing to the semi-transparency
of the shell, the eggs have a slight tinge of flesh colour. The
whole weighs about two pounds.

They have generally two broods in the season. The first
make their appearance about the second week in June; and
the last brood leave the nest about the 10th of August.
Though it is not uncommon for twenty, and even thirty,
pair to build in the same barn, yet everything seems to be
conducted with great order and affection ; all seems harmony
among them, as if the interest of each were that of all.
Several nests are often within a few inches of each other;
yet no appearance of discord or quarrelling takes place in
this peaceful and affectionate community.

When the young are fit to leave the nest, the old ones
entice them out by fluttering backwards and forwards, twitter-
ing and calling to them every time they pass ; and the young
exercise themselves for several days in short essays of this
kind within doors before they first venture abroad. As soon
as they leave the barn, they are conducted by their parents
to the trees or bushes by the pond, creek, or river shore, or

136 BARN SWALLOW.

other suitable situation, where their proper food is most
abundant, and where they can be fed with the greatest con-
venience to both parties. Now and then they take a short
excursion themselves, and are also frequently fed while on
wing by an almost instantaneous motion of both parties, rising
perpendicularly in air, and meeting each other. About the
middle of August they seem to begin to prepare for their
departure. They assemble on the roof in great numbers,
dressing and arranging their plumage, and making occasional
essays, twittering with great cheerfulness, ‘Their song is a
kind of sprightly warble, sometimes continued for a con-
siderable time. From this period to the 8th of September,
they are seen near the Schuylkill and Delaware every after-
noon, for two or three hours before sunset, passing along to
the south in great numbers, feeding as they skim along. I
have counted several hundreds pass within sight in less than
a quarter of an hour, all directing their course towards the
south. The reeds are now their regular roosting places;
and about the middle of September there is scarcely an
individual of them to be seen. How far south they continue
their route is uncertain; none of them remain in the United
States. Mr Bartram informs me, that, during his residence
in Florida, he often saw vast flocks of this and our other
swallows passing from the peninsula towards the south in
September and October, and also on their return to the north
about the middle of March. It is highly probable that, were
the countries to the south of the Gulf of Mexico, and as far
south as the great river Maranon, visited and explored by a
competent naturalist, these regions would be found to be the
winter rendezvous of the very birds now before us, and most
of our other migratory tribes.

In a small volume which I have lately met with, entitled
“An Account of the British Settlement of Honduras,” by
Captain George Henderson, of the 5th West India Regiment,
published in London in 1809, the writer, in treating of that
part of its natural history which relates to birds, gives the

BARN SWALLOW. ~*~ 137

following particulars :—‘‘ Myriads of swallows,” says he, “are
also the occasional inhabitants of Honduras. The time of
their residence is generally confined to the period of the
rains [that is, from October to February], after which they
totally disappear. There is something remarkably curious
and deserving of notice in the ascent of these birds. As
soon as the dawn appears, they quit their place of rest, which
is usually chosen amid the rushes of some watery savannah ;
and invariably rise to a certain height, in a compact spiral
form, and which at a distance often occasions them to be
taken for an immense column of smoke. This attained, they
are then seen separately to disperse in search of food, the
occupation of their day. ‘To those who may have had the
opportunity of observing the phenomenon of a waterspout, the
similarity of evolution in the ascent of these birds will.be
thought surprisingly striking. The descent, which regularly
takes place at sunset, is conducted much in the same way,
but with inconceivable rapidity ; and the noise which accom-
panies this can only be compared to the falling of an immense
torrent, or the rushing of a violent gust of wind. Indeed, to
an observer, it seems wonderful that thousands of these birds
are not destroyed, in being thus propelled to the earth with
such irresistible force.”

How devoutly it is to be wished that the natural history of
those regions were more precisely known, so absolutely neces-
sary as it is to the perfect understanding of this department
of our own !

The barn swallow is seven inches long, and thirteen inches
in extent; bill, black; upper part of the head, neck, back,
rump, and tail-coverts, steel blue, which descends rounding
on the breast; front and chin, deep chestnut; belly, vent,
and lining of the wing, light chestnut ; wings and tail, brown
black, slightly glossed with reflections of green; tail, greatly
forked, the exterior feather on each side an inch and a half
longer rien the next, and tapering towards the extremity, each

* Henderson’s Honduras, p. 119.

138 GREEN-BLUE, OR WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW.

feather, except the two middle ones, marked on its inner vane
with an oblong spot of white; lores, black ; eye, dark hazel ;
sides of the mouth, yellow ; legs, dark purple.

The female differs from the male in having the belly and
vent rufous white, instead of light chestnut; these parts are
also slightly clouded with rufous ; and the exterior tail-feathers
are shorter.

These birds are easily tamed, and soon become exceedingly
gentle and familiar. I have frequently kept them in my
room for several days at a time, where they employed them-
selves in catching flies, picking them from my clothes, hair,
&c., calling out occasionally as they observed some of their
old companions passing the windows.

GREEN-BLUE, OR WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW.
(Hirundo viridis.)

PLATE XXXVIII.—Fie. 3.

Peale’s Museum, No. 7707.

HIRUNDO BICOLOR.—VIEILLot.*

Hirundo viridis, Aud. Ann. Lyc. of New York, i. p. 166.—The White-bellied
Swallow, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 491, pl. 98.—Hirundo bicolor, Bonap. Synop-
p. 65.—Worth. Zool. ii. p. 328.

Tuis is the species hitherto supposed by Europeans to be the
same with their common martin, Hzrundo urbica, a bird
nowhere to be found within the United States. The English

* This beautiful and highly curious little bird has, like the last, been
confused with a European species, H. urbica. Gmelin and Latham
esteem it only a variety, while other writers make it identical. From
the European martin it may always at once be distinguished by want-
ing the purely white rump, so conspicuous during the flight of the
former. The priority of the name will be in favour of Vieillot, and it
should stand as H. bicolor of that naturalist.

The martins possess a greater preponderance of power in the wings
over the tail than the swallows ; and their flight, as our author remarks,
is consequently more like sailing than flying. All their turns are round
and free, and performed most frequently in large sweeps, without any

GREEN-BLUE, OR WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW. 139

martin is blue black above, the present species greenish blue;
the former has the whole rump white, and the legs and feet
are covered with short white downy feathers; the latter has
nothing of either. That ridiculous propensity in foreign
writers to consider most of our birds as varieties of their
own, has led them into many mistakes, which it shall be the
business of the author of the present work to point out de-
cisively, wherever he may meet with them.

The white-bellied swallow arrives in Pennsylvania a few days

motion of the wings. In their other forms they hardly differ, though
almost any one will say this is a martin, that a swallow. I am inclined
to keep them as a subordinate group, and there also would be placed
the water martins, which have already been made into a genus by Boje.
They are all nearly of the same form, are gregarious, and build and feed
in large companies,

The white-bellied swallow bears more analogy to the water martins
than that of Europe, or those which frequent inland districts, Accord-
ing to Audubon, they sit and roost on the sedges and tall water plants,
as well as upon the bushes ; and they sometimes in the beginning of
autumn, as mentioned by our author, collect on the shores or sand-
banks of rivers, in considerable numbers. About tlie end of July, in
the present year, I had an opportunity of seeing the latter incident take
place with our common sand martin (//. riparia), one very hot evening,
when residing on the shores of the Solway Frith, where the beach is
unusually flat and sandy, Several hundreds of these were collected
upon a space not exceeding two acres, most of them were upon the
ground, a few occasionally rising and making a short circuit. At this
part, a small stream entered the sea, and they seemed partly resting and
washing, and partly feeding on a small fly that had apparently come
newly to existence, and covered the sands in immense profusion. None
of our other species mingled, though they were abundant in the neigh-
bourhood.

The American bird is also remarkable as being a berry eater, an
occurrence nearly unknown among the Hirundinide, Neither is their
breeding in holes of trees frequent among them. The only instance of
a slinilar propensity is one related of the common swift, in “ Loudon’s
Magazine of Natural History,” which, however, is a species more likely
to suit itself to circumstances of the kind, as it appears to have done in
this instance, where it formed its breeding place in the deserted holes
of woodpeckers. Audubon has traced their migrations through the
year, and has proved that they winter in Louisiana. I believe they
belong exclusively to the New World.—Ep.

140 GREEN-BLUE, OR WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW.

later than the preceding species. It often takes possession of
an apartment in the boxes appropriated to the purple martin ;
and also frequently builds and hatches in a hollow tree. The
nest consists of fine loose dry grass, lined with large downy
feathers, rising above its surface, and so placed as to curl
inwards, and completely conceal the eggs. These last are
usually four or five in number, and pure white. They also
have two broods in the season. |

The voice of this species is low and guttural; they are
more disposed to quarrel than the barn swallows, frequently
fighting in the air for a quarter of an hour at a time, particu-
larly in spring, all the while keeping up a low rapid chatter.
They also sail more in flying; but, during the breeding
season, frequent the same situations in quest of similar food.
They inhabit the northern Atlantic States as far as the
district of Maine, where I have myself seen them; and my
friend Mr Gardiner informs me that they are found on the
coast of Long Island and its neighbourhood. About the
middle of July, I observed many hundreds of these birds
sitting on a flat sandy beach near the entrance of Great Hee
Harbour. They were also very numerous among the myrtles
of these low islands, completely covering some of the bushes.
One man told me that he saw one hundred and two shot at a
single discharge. For sometime before their departure, they
subsist principally on the myrtle berries (Myrica cerifera), and
become extremely fat. They leave us early in September.

This species appears to have remained hitherto undescribed,
owing to the misapprehension before mentioned. It is not
perhaps quite so numerous as the preceding, and rarely
associates with it to breed, never using mud of any kind in-
the construction of its nest.

The white-bellied swallow is five inches and three quarters
long, and twelve inches in extent; bill and eye, black; upper
parts, a light glossy greenish blue ; wings, brown black, with
slight reflections of green; tail, forked, the two exterior
feathers being about a quarter of an inch longer than the

BANK SWALLOW, OR SAND MARTIN. 141

middle ones, and all of a uniform brown black ; lores, black ;
whole lower parts pure white; wings, when shut, extend
about a quarter of an inch beyond the tail; legs, naked, short,
and strong, and, as well as the feet, of a dark purplish flesh
colour; claws, stout.

- The female has much less of the greenish gloss than the
male, the colours being less brilliant ; otherwise alike.

BANK SWALLOW, OR SAND MARTIN.
(Hirundo riparia.)
PLATE XXXVIII.—Fic. 4.

Lath. Sun. iv. p. 568, 10.—Arct. Zool. ii. No. 332.—L’Hirondelle de rivage, Buff.
vi. 632, Pl. enl. 543, f. 2.—Turt. Syst. 629.—Peale’s Museum, No. 7637.

HIRUNDO? RIPARIA ?—LINNaUvSs.”*
Hirundo riparia, Bonap. Synop. p. 65.—Cotile riparia, Boje.

THIs appears to be the most sociable with its kind, and the
Jeast intimate with man, of all our swallows, living together
in large communities of sometimes three or four hundred.

* T have been unable to compare specimens of these birds from both
countries, but from the best authorities, I am induced to consider them
identical. A doubt has been expressed by Vieillot, who considered the
American bird as possessing a greater length of tarsus, and having that
part also clothed with short plumes. Bonaparte has, again, from actual
comparison, said they were entirely similar.

As in America, they are the first swallow which appears in this
country, arriving soon after the commencement of March. Their
breeding-places are in the same situations, but often pierced into the
banks for a much greater length. If the bank is sandy and easily
scratched, seven or eight feet will scarcely reach the extremity, a won-
derful length, if we consider the powers of the worker.

They are abundant over every part of North America, and were met
by Dr Richardson in the 68th parallel. ‘We observed,” says that
naturalist, “thousands of these sand martins fluttering at the entrance
of their burrows, near the mouth of the Mackenzie, in the 68th parallel,
on the 4th of July. They are equally numerous in every district of the
Fur Countries, wherein banks suitable for burrowing exist; but it is
not likely that they ever rear more than one brood north of the Lake
Superior.”—Ep,.

142 BANK SWALLOW, OR SAND MARTIN.

On the high sandy bank of a river, quarry, or gravel pit, at a
foot or two from the surface, they commonly scratch out holes
for their nests, running them in a horizontal direction to the
depth of two and sometimes three feet. Several of these holes
are often within a few inches of each other, and extend in
various strata along the front of the precipice, sometimes for
eighty or one hundred yards. At the extremity of this
hole, a little fine dry grass, with a few large downy feathers,
form the bed on which their eggs, generally five in number,
and pure white, are deposited. The young are hatched late
in May; and here I have taken notice of the common crow,
in parties of four or five, watching at the entrance of these
holes, to seize the first straggling young that should make its
appearance. From the clouds of swallows that usually play
round these breeding places, they remind one at a distance
of a swarm of bees.

The bank swallow arrives here earlier than either of the
preceding ; begins to build in April, and has commonly two
broods in the season. ‘Their voice is a low mutter. They
are particularly fond of the shores of rivers, and, in several
places along the Ohio, they congregate in immense multitudes.
We have sometimes several days of cold rain and severe
weather after their arrival in spring, from which they take
refuge in their holes, clustering together for warmth, and
have been frequently found at such times in almost a lifeless
state with the cold ; which circumstance has contributed to
the belief that they lie torpid all winter in these recesses. I
have searched hundreds of these holes in the months of
December and January, but never found a single swallow,
dead, living, or torpid. I met with this bird in considerable
numbers on the shores of the Kentucky river, between
Lexington and Danville. They likewise visit the seashore
in great numbers previous to their departure, which continues
from the last of September to the middle of October.

The bank swallow is five inches long, and ten inches in
extent; upper parts mouse coloured, lower white, with a

Engraved ty WEL *

4. Connecticut Warbler

‘ertadle

Varin

Ywallon

AUN

2. Purple

CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 143

band of dusky brownish across the upper part of the breast ;
tail, forked, the exterior feather slightly edged with whitish ;
lores and bill, black; legs, with a few tufts of downy feathers
behind ; claws, fine pointed and very sharp ; over the eye, a
streak of whitish ; lower side of the shafts, white ; wings and
tail, darker than the body. The female differs very little
from the male.

This bird appears to be in nothing different from the
Enropean species ; from which circumstance, and its early
arrival here, I would conjecture that it passes to a high
northern latitude on both continents.

CHIMNEY SWALLOW. (Hirundo pelasgia.)
PLATE XXXIX.—Fie. 1.

Lath. Syn. v. p. 583, 32.—Catesb. Car. App. t. 8.—Hirondelle de la Caroline,
Buff. vi. p. 700.—Hirundo Carolinensis, Briss. ii. p. 501, 9.—Aculeated
Swallow, Arct. Zool. ii. No. 335, 18.—Turt. Syst. p. 630.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 7663.

CH AHTURA PELASGIA.—StTEPHENS.*

Chetura pelasgia, Steph. Cont. Sh. Zool. Sup. p. 76.—Cypselus pelasgius,
Bonap. Synop. p. 63.

Tuis species is peculiarly our own, and strongly distinguished
from all the rest of our swallows by its figure, flight, and
manners. Of the first of these, the representation in the
plate will give a correct idea; its other peculiarities shall
be detailed as fully as the nature of the subject requires.

* This species has been taken as the type of Mr Stephens’ genus
Chetura. In form they resemble the swifts; and the first observed
distinction will be the structure of the tail, where the quills of the
feathers are elongated, and run to a sharp or subulated point, The
bill is more compressed laterally ; the legs and feet possess very great
muscularity ; the toes alone are scaled, and the tarsi are covered with a
naked skin, through which the form of the muscles is plainly visible ;
the claws are much hooked. All these provisions are necessary to their
mode of life. Without some strong support, they could not cling for a
great length of time in the hollows of trees, or in chimneys ; and their
tails are used, in the manner of a woodpecker, to assist the power of

144 CHIMNEY SWALLOW.

- This swallow, like all the rest of its tribe in the United
States, is migratory, arriving in Pennsylvania late in April
or early in May, and dispersing themselves over the whole
country wherever there are vacant chimneys in summer
sufficiently high and convenient for their accommodation. In
no other situation with us are they observed at present to
build. This circumstance naturally suggests the query,
Where did these birds construct their nests before the arrival
of Europeans in this country, when there were no such places
for their accommodation ? I would answer, Probably in the
same situations in which they still continue to build in the
remote regions of our western forests, where European im-
provements of this kind are scarcely to be found, namely, in
the hollow of a tree, which in some cases has the nearest
resemblance to their present choice, of any other. One of
the first settlers in the State of Kentucky informed me, that
he cut down a large hollow beech tree, which contained forty
or fifty nests of the chimney swallow, most of which, by the
fall of the tree, or by the weather, were lying at the bottom
of the hollow; but sufficient fragments remained adhering to
the sides of the tree to enable him to number them. They
appeared, he said, to be of many years’ standing. The present
site which they have chosen must, however, hold out many
more advantages than the former, since we see that, in the
whole thickly settled parts of the United States, these birds
have uniformly adopted this new convenience, not a single
pair being observed to prefer the woods. Security from birds
of prey and other animals—from storms that frequently over-
throw the timber, and the numerous ready conveniences which
these new situations afford, are doubtless some of the advan-

the strong feet. They present, in a beautiful manner, the scansorial
form among the Fissirostres ; one species, the Ch. senex (Cypselus senex,
Temm.), even feeds in the manner of the true climbers, running up
the steep rocks, assisted by its tail, in search of food.

The group will contain a considerable number. Wehave them from
‘India, North and South America, and New Holland, but I am not

aware that Africa has yet produced any species.—Eb.

CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 145

tages. ‘The choice they have made certainly bespeaks some-
thing more than mere unreasoning instinct, and does honour
to their discernment.

The nest of this bird is of singular construction, being
formed of very small twigs, fastened together with a strong
adhesive glue or gum, which is secreted by two glands, one on
each side of the hind head, and mixes with the saliva. With
this glue, which becomes hard as the twigs themselves, the
whole nest is thickly besmeared. The nest itself is small and
shallow, and attached by one side or edge to the wall, and is
totally destitute of the soft lining with which the others are so
plentifully supplied. The eggs are generally four, and white.
This swallow has two broods in the season. The young are
fed at intervals during the greater part of the night, a fact
which I have had frequent opportunities of remarking both
hereand in the Mississippi territory. The noise which the old
ones make in passing up and down the funnel has some resem-
blance to distant thunder. When heavy and long-continued
rains occur, the nest, losing its hold, is precipitated to the
bottom. This disaster frequently happens. The eggs are
destroyed ; but the young, though blind (which they are for
a considerable time), sometimes scramble up along the vent,
to which they cling like squirrels, the muscularity of their feet,
and the sharpness of their claws, at this tender age, being
remarkable. In this situation they continue to be fed for
perhaps a week or more. Nay, it is not uncommon for them
voluntarily to leave the nest long before they are able to fly,
and to fix themselves on the wall, where they are fed until able
to hunt for themselves.

When these birds first arrive in spring, and for a consider-
able time after, they associate together every evening in one
general rendezvous ; those of a whole district roosting together.
This place of repose, in the more unsettled parts of the country,
is usually a large hollow tree, open at top; trees of that kind,
or swallow trees as they are usually called, having been

noticed in various parts of the country, and generally believed
VOL. IT. K

146 CHIMNEY SWALLOW,

to be the winter quarters of these birds, where, heaps upon
heaps, they dozed away the winter in a state of torpidity.
Here they have been seen on their resurrection in spring, and
here they have again been remarked descending to their
deathlike sleep in autumn.

Among the various accounts of these trees that might be
quoted, the following are selected as bearing the marks of
authenticity. “At Middlebury, in this State,” says Mr
Williams, “ History of Vermont,” p. 16, “there was a large
hollow elm, called by the people in the vicinity, the swallow
tree. From a man who for several years lived within twenty
rods of it, I procured this information. He always thought
the swallows tarried in the tree through the winter, and
avoided cutting it down on that account. About the first of -
May the swallows came out of it in large numbers, about the
middle of the day, and soon returned. As the weather grew
warmer, they came out in the morning, with a loud noise, or
roar, and were soon dispersed. About half an hour before
sundown, they returned in millions, circulating two or three
times round the tree, and then descending like a stream into a
hole about sixty feet from the ground. It was customary for
persons in the vicinity to visit this tree to observe the motions
of these birds: and when any person disturbed their operations,
by striking violently against the tree with their axes, the
swallows would rush out in millions, and with a great noise.
In November 1791, the top of this tree was blown down
twenty feet below where the swallows entered : there has been
no appearance of the swallows since. Upon cutting down the
remainder, an immense quantity of excrements, quills, and
feathers were found, but no appearance or relics of any nests.

“Another of these swallow trees was at Bridport. 'The man
who lived the nearest to it gave this account: The swallows
were first observed to come out of the tree in the spring, about
the time that the leaves first began to appear on the trees ;
from that season they came out in the morning about half an
hour after sunrise. They rushed out like a stream, as big as

CHIMNEY SWALLOW, 147

the hole in the tree would admit, and ascended in a perpen-
dicular line, until they were above the height of the adjacent
trees ; then assumed a circular motion, performing their
evolutions two or three times, but always in a larger circle,
and then dispersed in every direction. A little before sun-
down, they returned in immense numbers, forming several
circular motions, and then descended like a stream into the
hole, from whence they came out in the morning. About
the middle of September, they were seen entering the tree for
the last time. These birds were all of the species called the
house, or chimney swallow. The tree was a large hollow elm ;
the hole at which they entered was about forty feet above the
ground, and about nine inches in diameter. The swallows
made their first appearance in the spring, and their last appear-
ance in the fall, in the vicinity of this tree; and the neighbour-
ing inhabitants had no doubt but that the swallows continued
in it during the winter. A few years ago a hole was cut at the
bottom of the tree: from that time the swallows have been
gradually forsaking the tree, and have now almost deserted it.”

Though Mr Williams himself, as he informs us, is led to
believe, from these and some other particulars which he
details, “that the house swallow, in this part of America,
generally resides during the winter in the hollow of trees ;
and the ground swallows (bank swallows) find security in the
mud at the bottom of lakes, rivers, and ponds;” yet I cannot,
in the cases just cited, see any sufficient cause for such a
belief. ‘The birds were seen to pass out on the Ist of May,
or in the spring, when the leaves began to appear on the trees,
and, about the middle of September, they were seen entering
the tree for the last time ; but there is no information here of
their being seen at any time during winter, either within or
around the tree. ‘This most important part of the matter is
taken for granted without the least examination, and, as will
be presently shown, without foundation. I shall, I think,
also prove that, if these trees had been cut down in the depth
of winter, not a single swallow would have been found either

148 CHIMNEY SWALLOW.

in a living or torpid state! And that this was merely a
place of rendezvous for active living birds is evident from the
‘immense quantity of excrements” found within it, which
birds in a state of torpidity are not supposed to produce.
The total absence of the relics of nests is a proof that it was
not a breeding place, and that the whole was nothing more
than one of those places to which this singular bird resorts
immediately on its arrival in May, in which, also, many of the
males continue to roost during the whole summer, and from
which they regularly depart about the middle of September.
From other circumstances, it appears probable that some of
these trees have been for ages the summer rendezvous or general
roosting place of the whole chimney swallows of an extensive
district. Of this sort I conceive the following to be one, which
is thus described by a late traveller to the westward :—
Speaking of the curiosities of the State of Ohio, the writer
observes :—“ In connection with this, I may mention a large
collection of feathers found within a hollow tree which I
examined, with the Rev. Mr Story, May 18th, 1803. It is
in the upper part of Waterford, about two miles distant from
the Muskingum. A very large sycamore, which, through age,
had decayed and fallen down, contained in its hollow trunk,
five and a half feet in diameter, and for nearly fifteen feet
upwards, a mass of decayed feathers, with a small admixture
of brownish dust, and the exuviz of various insects. The
feathers were so rotten, that it was impossible to determine to
what kinds of birds they belonged. They were less than those
of the pigeon; and the largest of them were like the pinion
and tail feathers of the swallow. I examined carefully this”
astonishing collection, in the hope of finding the bones and
bills, but could not distinguish any. The tree, with some
remains of its ancient companions lying around, was of @
growth preceding that of the netghbouring forest. Near it,
and even out of its mouldering ruins, grow thrifty trees of @
size which indicate two or three hundred years of age.” *

* Harris’s Journal, p. 180.

CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 149

Such are the usual roosting places of the chimney swallow
in the more thinly settled parts of the country. In towns,
however, they are differently situated, and it is matter of
curiosity to observe, that they frequently select the court-
house chimney for their general place of rendezvous, as being
usually more central, and less liable to interruption during
the night. I might enumerate many places where this is their
practice. Being in the town of Reading, Pennsylvania, in the
month of August, I took notice of sixty or eighty of these
birds, a little before evening, amusing themselves by ascending
and descending the chimney of the court-house there. I was
- told that, in the early part of summer, they were far more
numerous at that particular spot. On the 20th of May, in
returning from an excursion to the Great Pine Swamp, I
spent part of the day in the town of Easton, where I was
informed by my respected friend, Mordecai Churchman,
cashier of the bank there, and one of the people called
Quakers, that the chimney swallows of Easton had selected
the like situation; and that, from the windows of his house,
which stands nearly opposite to the court-house, I might, in
an hour or two, witness their whole manceuvres.

I accepted the invitation with pleasure. Accordingly, a
short time after sunset, the chimney swallows, which were
generally dispersed about town, began to collect around the
court-house, their numbers every moment increasing, till, like
motes in the sunbeams, the air seemed full of them. These,
while they mingled amongst each other seemingly in every
direction, uttering their peculiar note with great sprightliness,
kept a regular circuitous sweep around the top of the court-
house, and about fourteen or fifteen feet above it, revolving
with great rapidity for the space of at least ten minutes. There
could not be less than four or five hundred of them. They
now gradually varied their line of motion, until one part of
its circumference passed immediately over the chimney, and
about five or six feet above it. Some as they passed made a
slight feint of entering, which was repeated by those immedi-

150 CHIMNEY SWALLOW.

ately after, and by the whole circling multitude in succession :
in this feint they approached nearer and nearer at every
revolution, dropping perpendicularly, but still passing over;
the circle meantime becoming more and more contracted, and
the rapidity of its revolution greater, as the dusk of evening
increased, until, at length, one, and then another, dropped in,
another and another followed, the circle still revolving, until
the whole multitude had descended, except one or two. These
flew off, as if to collect the stragglers, and, in a few seconds,
returned, with six or eight more, which, after one or two rounds,
dropped in one by one, and all was silence for the night. It
seemed to me hardly possible that the internal surface of the
vent could accommodate them all, without clustering on one
another, which I am informed they never do; and I was very
desirous of observing their ascension in the morning, but having
to set off before day, I had not that gratification. Mr Church-
man, however, to whom I have since transmitted a few queries,
has been so obliging as to inform me, that towards the begin-
ning of June the number of those that regularly retired to the
court-house to roost was not more than one-fourth of the
former ; that on the morning of the 23d of June, he particu-
larly observed their reascension, which took place at a quarter-
past four, or twenty minutes before sunrise, and that they
passed out in less than three minutes; that at my request the
chimney had been examined from above; but that, as far down
at least as nine feet, it contained no nests; though at a former
period it is certain that their nests were very numerous there,
so that the chimney was almost choked, and a sweep could
with difficulty get up it. But then it was observed that their
place of nocturnal retirement was in another quarter of the
town. ‘On the whole,” continues Mr Churchman, “I am of
opinion that those who continue to roost at the court-house
are male birds, or such as are not engaged in the business of
incubation, as that operation is going on in almost every
unoccupied chimney in town. It is reasonable to suppose,
if they made use of that at the court-house for this purpose,

CHIMNEY SWALLOW. I51

at least some of their nests would appear towards the top, as
we find such is the case where but few nests are in a place.”
In a subsequent letter Mr Churchman writes as follows :—
“ After the young brood produced in the different chimneys
in Easton had taken wing, and a week or ten days previous to
their total disappearance, they entirely forsook the court-house
chimney, and rendezvoused in accumulated numbers in the
southernmost chimney of John Ross's mansion, situated per-
haps one hundred feet north-eastward of the court-house. In
this last retreat I several times counted more than two
hundred go in of an evening, when I could not perceive a
single bird enter the court-house chimney. I was much
diverted one evening on seeing a cat, which came upon the
roof of the house, and placed herself near the chimney, where
she strove to arrest the birds as they entered without success:
she at length ascended to the chimney top and took her
station, and the birds descended in gyrations without seeming
to regard grimalkin, who made frequent attempts to grab
them. I was pleased to see that they all escaped her fangs.
About the first week in the ninth month [September], the birds
quite disappeared ; since which I have not observed a single
individual. Though I was not so fortunate as to be present
at their general assembly and council, when they concluded
to take their departure, nor did I see them commence their
flight, yet I am fully persuaded that none of them remain
in any of our chimneys here. I have had access to Ross’s
chimney, where they last resorted, and could see the lights
out from bottom to top, without the least vestige or appear-
ance of any birds. Mary Ross also informed me that they
have had their chimneys swept previous to their making fires,
and, though late in autumn, no birds have been found there.
Chimneys, also, which have not been used, have been
ascended by sweeps in the winter without discovering any.
Indeed, all of them are swept every fall and winter, and I
have never heard of the swallows being found, in either a
dead, living, or torpid state. As to the court-house, it has

152 CHIMNEY SWALLOW.

been occupied as a place of worship two or three times a-week
for several weeks past, and at those times there has been fire
in the stoves, the pipes of them both going into the chimney,
which is shut up at bottom by brick work: and, as the birds
had forsaken that place, it remains pretty certain that they
did not return there; and, if they did, the smoke, I think,
would be deleterious to their existence, especially as I never
knew them to resort to kitchen chimneys where fire was kept
in the summer. I think I have noticed them enter such
chimneys for the purpose of exploring; but I have also
noticed that they immediately ascended, and went off, on find-
ing fire and smoke.”

The chimney swallow is easily distinguished in air from
the rest of its tribe here by its long wings, its short body, the
quick and slight vibrations of its wings, and its wide unex-
pected diving rapidity of flight ; shooting swiftly in various
directions without any apparent motion of the wings, and
uttering the sounds ¢s¢p tsip tsip tsee tsee in a hurried manner.
In roosting, the thorny extremities of its tail are thrown in
for its support. It is never seen to alight but in hollow trees
or chimneys ; is always most gay and active in wet and gloomy
weather ; and is the earliest abroad in the morning, and latest
out in evening, of all our swallows. About the first or second
week in September, they move off to the south, being often
observed on their route, accompanied by the purple martins.

When we compare the manners of these birds, while here,
with the account given by Captain Henderson of those that
winter in such multitudes at Honduras, it is impossible not to
be struck with the resemblance, or to suppress our strong
suspicions that they may probably be the very same.

This species is four inches and a half in length, and twelve
inches in extent; altogether of a deep sooty brown, except
the chin and line over the eye, which are of a dull white; the
lores, as in all the rest, are black ; bill, extremely short, hard,
and black ; nostrils, placed in a slightly elevated membrane ;
legs, covered with a loose purplish skin ; thighs, naked, and

;

PURPLE MARTIN. 153

of the same tint; feet, extremely muscular; the three fore
toes nearly of a length; claws, very sharp; the wing, when
closed, extends an inch and a half beyond the tip of the tail,
which is rounded, and consists of ¢en feathers, scarcely longer
than their coverts; their shafts extend beyond the vanes, are
sharp-pointed, strong, and very elastic, and of a deep black
colour ; the shafts of the wing-quills are also remarkably strong ;
eye, black, surrounded by a bare blackish skin, or orbit.

The female can scarcely be distinguished from the male by
her plumage.

PURPLE MARTIN. (Hirundo purpurea.)
PLATE XXXIX.—Fic. 2, Mate; Fic. 3, FEMALE.

Lath. Syn. iv. p. 574, 21; Ibid. iv. p. 575, 23. —Catesb. Car. i. 51.—Arct. Zool.
ii. No. 333.—Hirondelle bleu de la Caroline, Buff. vi. p. 674, Pl. enl. 722.—
Le Martinet couleur de pourpre, Buff. vi. p. 676.—Turt. Syst. 629.—Kdw.
120.—Hirundo subis, Lath. iv. p. 575, 24.—Peale’s Aluseum, Nos. 7645,

7646.
HIRUNDO PURPUREA.—LINNzUvS.*

Hirundo purpurea, Bonap. Synop. p. 64.—Worth. Zool. ii. p. 335.—The Purple
Martin, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 114, pl. 22, male and female.

Tuts well-known bird is a general inhabitant of the United
States, and a particular favourite wherever he takes up his

* This bird, at first sight, almost presents a different appearance from
aswallow ; but, upon examination, all the members are truly that of
Hirundo, developed, particularly the bill, to an extraordinary extent.
The bill is verynearly that of a Procnias or Ptiliogonys; but the economy
of the bird presents no affinity to the berry-eaters ; and the only differ-
ence in its feeding seems the preference to larger beetles, wasps, or bees,
which its strength enables it to despatch without any danger to itself.

This bird exclusively belongs to the New World, and its migrations
have a very extensive range. It makes its first appearance at Great
Bear Lake on the 17th May, at which time the snow still partially
covers the ground, and the rivers and lakes are fast bound inice. In
the middle of August, it retires again with its young brood from the
Fur Countries. In a southern direction, Mr Swainson observed num-
bers round Pernambuco, 8} degrees south of the line. They migrate
in flocks, and at a very slow rate. The account of Mr Audubon,

154 PURPLE MARTIN.

abode. I never met with more than one man who disliked
the martins, and would not permit them to settle about his
house. This was a penurious close-fisted German, who hated
them, because, as he said, ‘‘ they ate his peas.” I told him ~
he must certainly be mistaken, as I never knew an instance
of martins eating peas ; but he replied with coolness, that
he had many times seen them himself “blaying near the hife,
and going schnip, schnap ;” by which I understood that it was
his bees that had been the sufferers; and the charge could
not be denied.

This sociable and half-domesticated bird arrives in the
southern frontiers of the United States late in February or
early in March; reaches Pennsylvania about the Ist of April,
and extends his migrations as far north as the country round
Hudson’s Bay, where he is first seen in May, and disappears
in August ; so, according to the doctrine of torpidity, has, con-
sequently, a pretty long annual nap, in those frozen regions,
of eight or nine months under the ice! We, however, choose
to consider him as advancing northerly with the gradual
approach of spring, and retiring with his young family, on
the first decline of summer, to a more congenial climate.

The summer residence of this agreeable bird is universally
among the habitations of man, who, having no interest in his
who witnessed them, will show the possibility of much less powerful
birds performing an immense distance, especially where every mile
brings them an additional supply of food and a more genial climate. I
give his own words :—“I have had several opportunities, at the period
of their arrival, of seeing prodigious flocks moving over that city (New
Orleans) or its vicinity, at a considerable height, each bird performing
circular sweeps as it proceeded, for the purpose of procuring food.
These flocks were loose, and moved either westward, or towards the
north-west, at a rate not exceeding four miles in the hour, as I walked
under one of them, with ease, for upwards of two miles, at that rate, on
the 4th of February 1821, on the bank of the river below the city,
constantly looking up at the birds, to the great astonishment of many
passengers, who were bent on far different pursuits. My Fahrenheit’s
thermometer stood at 68°, the weather being calm and drizzly. This

flock extended about a mile and a half in length, by a quarter of a
mile in breadth.”—Eb.

PURPLE MARTIN. 155

destruction, and deriving considerable advantage, as well as
amusement, from his company, is generally his friend and
protector. Wherever he comes, he finds some hospitable re-
treat fitted up for his accommodation, and that of his young,
either in the projecting wooden cornice, on the top of the roof,
or sign-post, in the box appropriated to the blue bird; or, if
all these be wanting, in the dove-house among the pigeons.
In this last case, he sometimes takes possession of one quarter,
or tier, of the premises, in which not a pigeon dare for a
moment set its foot. Some people have large conveniencies
formed for the martins, with many apartments, which are
usually full tenanted, and occupied regularly every spring ;
and, in such places, particular individuals lave been noted to
return to the same box for several successive years. [ven
the solitary Indian seems to have a particular respect for
this bird. The Choctaws and Chickasaws cut off all the
top branches from a sapling near their cabins, leaving the
prongs a foot or two in length, on each of which they hang a
gourd, or calabash, properly hollowed out for their conveni-
ence, On the banks of the Mississippi, the negroes stick up
long canes, with the same species of apartment fixed to their
tops, in which the martins regularly breed. Wherever I
have travelled in this country, I have seen with pleasure the
hospitality of the inhabitants to this favourite bird.

As superseding the necessity of many of my own observa-
tions on this species, I beg leave to introduce in this place an
extract of a letter from the late learned and venerable John
Joseph Henry, Esq., judge of the supreme court of Pennsyl-
vania, a man of most amiable manners, which was written to
me but a few months before his death, and with which I am
happy to honour my performance:—‘‘ The history of the
purple martin of America,” says he, ‘‘ which is indigenous in
Pennsylvania, and countries very far north of our latitude,
will, under your control, become extremely interesting. We
know its manners, habitudes, and useful qualities here ; but
we are not generally acquainted with some traits in its

156 PURPLE MARTIN.

character, which, in my mind, rank it in the class of the most
remarkable birds of passage. Somewhere (I cannot now refer
to book and page) in Anson’s Voyage, or in Dampier, or some
other southern voyager, I recollect that the martin is named
as an inhabitant of the regions of Southern America, parti-
cularly of Chili; and in consequence, from the knowledge we
have of its immense emigration northward in our own country,
we may fairly presume that its flight extends to the south as
far as Tierra del Fuego. If the conjecture be well founded,
we may, with some certainty, place this useful and delightful
companion and friend of the human race as the first in the
order of birds of passage. Nature has furnished it with a
long, strong, and nervous pinion; its legs are short, too, so
as not to impede its passage; the head and body are flattish ;
in short, it bas every indication, from bodily formation, that
Providence intended it as a bird of the longest flight. Belk-
nap speaks of it as a visitant of New Hampshire. I have
seen it in great numbers at Quebec. Hearne speaks of it in
lat. sixty degrees north. ‘To ascertain the times of the coming
of the martin to New Orleans, and its migration to and from
Mexico, Quito, and Chili, are desirable data in the history of
this bird ; but it is probable that the state of science in those
countries renders this wish hopeless.

“Relative to the domestic history, if it may be so called,
of the blue bird (of which you have given so correct and
charming a description) and the martin, permit me to give
you an anecdote:—In 1800 I removed from Lancaster to a
farm a few miles above Harrisburg. Knowing the benefit
derivable to a farmer from the neighbourhood of the martin,
in preventing the depredations of the bald eagle, the hawks,
and even the crows, my carpenter was employed to form a
large box, with a number of apartments for the martin. The
box was put up in the autumn. Near and around the house
were a number of well-grown apple-trees and much shrub-
bery,—a very fit haunt for the feathered race. About the
middle of February, the blue birds came; in a short time

PURPLE MARTIN. S77

they were very familiar, and took possession of the box: these
consisted of two or three pairs. By the 15th of May, the blue
birds had eges, if not young. Now the martins arrived in
numbers, visited the box, and a severe conflict ensued. The
blue birds, seemingly animated by their right of possession,
or for the protection of their young, were victorious. The
martins regularly arrived about the middle of May, for the
eicht following years, examined the apartments of the box,
in the absence of the blue birds, but were uniformly. com-
pelled to fly upon the return of the latter.

“The trouble caused you by reading this note you will be
pleased to charge to the martin. A box replete with that
beautiful traveller is not very distant from my bed-head.
Their notes seem discordant because of their numbers; yet to
me they are pleasing. The industrious farmer and mechanic
would do well to have a box fixed near the apartments of their
drowsy labourers. Just as the dawn approaches, the martin
begins its notes, which last half a minute or more, and then
subside until the twilight is fairly broken. An animated and
incessant musical chattering now ensues, sufficient to arouse
the most sleepy person. Perhaps ehanticleer is not their
superior in this beneficial qualification; and he is far beneath
the martin in his powers of annoying birds of prey.”

I shall add a few particulars to this faithful and interesting
sketch by my deceased friend :—About the middle, or 20th,
of April, the martins first begin to prepare their nest. The
last of these which I examined was formed of dry leaves of
the weeping willow, slender straws, hay, and feathers in con-
siderable quantity. The eggs were four, very small for the
size of the bird, and pure white, without any spots. The
first brood appears in May, the second late in July. During
the period in which the female is laying, and before she com-
mences incubation, they are both from home the greater part
of the day. When the female is sitting, she is frequently
visited by the male, who also occupies her place while she
takes a short recreation abroad. He also often passes a

158 PURPLE MARTIN.

quarter of an hour in the apartment beside her, and has
become quite domesticated since her confinement. He sits
on the outside dressing and arranging his plumage, occasion-
ally passing to the door of the apartment as if to inquire how
she does. His notes, at this time, seem to have assumed
a peculiar softness, and his gratulations are expressive of
much tenderness. Conjugal fidelity, even where there is a
number together, seems to be faithfully preserved by these
birds. On the 25th of May, a male and female martin took
possession of a box in Mr Bartram’s garden. A day or two
after, a second female made her appearance, and stayed for
several days; but, from the cold reception she met with,
being frequently beat off by the male, she finally abandoned
the place, and set off, no doubt, to seek for a more sociable
companion.

The purple martin, like his half-cousin the king bird, is
the terror of crows, hawks, and eagles. These he attacks
whenever they make their appearance, and with such vigour
and rapidity, that they instantly have recourse to flight. So
well known is this to the lesser birds, and to the domestic
poultry, that, as soon as they hear the martin’s voice engaged
in fight, all is alarm and consternation. To observe with
what spirit and audacity this bird dives and sweeps upon and
around the hawk or the eagle is astonishing. He also bestows
an occasional bastinading on the king bird when he finds him
too near his premises ; though he will, at any time, instantly
co-operate with him in attacking the common enemy.

The martin differs from all the rest of our swallows in the
particular prey which he selects. Wasps, bees, large beetles,
particularly those called by the boys goldsmiths, seem his
favourite game. I have taken four of these large beetles
from the stomach of a purple martin, each of which seemed
entire, and even unbruised.

The flight of the purple martin unites in it all the swift-
ness, ease, rapidity of turning, and gracefulness of motion of
its tribe. Like the swift of Europe, he sails much with little

PURPLE MARTIN. 159

action of the wings. He passes through the most crowded
parts of our streets, eluding the passengers with the quickness
of thought; or plays among the clouds, gliding about at a
vast height, like an aerial being. His usual note, peuo, peuo,
peuo, is loud and musical; but is frequently succeeded by
others more low and guttural. Soon after the 20th of August
he leaves Pennsylvania for the south.

This bird has been described three or four different times,
by European writers, as so many different species——the
Canadian swallow of Turton, and the great American martin
of Edwards, being evidently the female of the present species.
The violet swallow of the former author, said to inhabit
Louisiana, differs in no respect from the present. Deceived
by the appearance of the flight of this bird, and its similarity
to that of the swift of Europe, strangers from that country
have also asserted that the swift is common to North America
and the United States. No such bird, however, inhabits
any part of this continent that I have as yet visited.

The purple martin is eight inches in length, and sixteen
inches in extent ; except the lores, which are black, and the
wings and tail, which are of a brownish black, he is of a
rich and deep purplish blue, with strong violet reflections ;
the bill is strong, the gap very large; the legs also short,
stout, and of a dark dirty purple; the tail consists of twelve
feathers, is considerably forked, and edged with purple blue;
the eye full and dark.

The female measures nearly as large as the male ; the upper
parts are blackish brown, with blue and violet reflections
thinly scattered ; chin and breast, grayish brown ; sides under
the wings, darker; belly and vent, whitish, not pure, with
stains of dusky and yellow ochre; wings and tail, blackish
brown.

160 CONNECTICUT WARBLER.

CONNECTICUT WARBLER. (Sylvia agilis.)
PLATE XXXIX.—Fi«a. 4.

SYLVICOLA AGILIS.—JARvINE.*
Sylvia agilis, Bonap. Synop. p. 84 ; Nomenclature, p. 163.

THs is a new species, first discovered in the State of Connec-
ticut, and twice since met with in the neighbourhood of
Philadelphia. As to its notes or nest, I am altogether unac-
quainted with them. The different specimens I have shot cor-
responded very nearly in their markings; two of these were
males, and the other undetermined, but conjectured also to be
a male. It was found in every case among low thickets, but
seemed more than commonly active, not remaining for a
moment in the same position. In some of my future rambles
I may learn more of this solitary species.

Leneth, five inches and three quarters; extent, eight
inches ; whole upper parts, a rich yellow olive ; wings, dusky
brown, edged with olive; throat, dirty white or pale ash ;
upper part of the breast, dull greenish yellow; rest of the
lower parts, a pure rich yellow ; legs, long, slender, and of a
pale flesh colour; round the eye, a narrow ring of yellowish
white ; upper mandible, pale brown; lower, whitish ; eye
dark hazel.

Since writing the above, I have shot two specimens of a
bird, which in every particular agrees with the above, except
in having the throat of a dull buff colour, instead of pale
ash ; both of these were females; and J have little doubt but
they are of the same species with the present, as their peculiar
activity seemed exactly similar to the males above described.

These birds do not breed in the lower parts of Pennsylvania,
though they probably may be found in summer in the alpine
swamps and northern regions,in company with a numerous class
of the same tribe that breed in these unfrequented solitudes.

* According to Bonaparte, this is a new species discovered by Wilson. ©
Comparatively little is known regarding it.— Ep.

on. trom Nature by A Wilson

Lars.

1. Mght Hawk. 2. Female.

NIGHT HAWK. 161

NIGHT HAWK. (Caprimulgus Americanus.)
PLATE XL.—Fia. 1, Mate; Fic. 2, FEMALE.

Long-winged Goatsucker, Arct. Zool. No. 337.—Peale’s Museum, No. 7723, male ;
7724, female,

CAPRIMULGUS AMERICANUS ?—Witson.*

Caprimulgus Virginianus, Bonap. Synop. p. 62.—Chordeiles Virgimorus,
Sw. North. Zool. ii. p. 337.

Tus bird, in Virginia and some of the southern districts, is
called a bat; the name night hawk is usually given it in
the middle and northern States, probably on account of its
appearance, when on wing, very much resembling some of our

* North America appears to contain three species of this curious genus,
—the present one, with the following, and C. Carolinensis, afterwards
described. The whole are nearly of like size, and, from the general
similarity of marking which runs through the group, will somewhat
resemble each other. Wilson may, therefore, claim the first merit of
clearly distinguishing them, although he remained in uncertainty re-
garding the descriptions and synonyms of other authors. Vieillot
appears to have described this species under the name of C. popetue ;
but, notwithstanding, I cannot help preferring that given by Wilson,
particularly as it seems confined to the New World.

Bonaparte remarks that the night hawks are among the swallows
what the owls are among the Falconide; and, if we may be allowed
the expression, the C. Americanus has more of the hirundine look than
the others. The whole plumage is harder, the ends of the quills are
more pointed, the tail is forked, and the rictus wants the strong array
of bristles which we consider one of the essentials in the most perfect
form of Caprimulgus. We may here remark (although we know that
there are exceptions), that we have generally observed in those having
the tail forked, and, consequently, with a greater power of quick flight
and rapid turnings, that the plumage is more rigid, and the flight
occasionally diurnal. This is borne out, also, in our present species,
which play “about in the air, over the breeding-place, even during the
day ;” and, in their migrations, “may be seen almost everywhere,
from five o’clock until after sunset, passing along the Schuylkill and
the adjacent shores.”

The truly night-feeding species have the plumage loose and downy,
as in the nocturnal owls; the wings more blunted, and the plumules
coming to a slender point, and unconnected ; the tail rounded, and the

VOL, Il. L

162 NIGHT HAWK.

small hawks, and from its habit of flying chiefly in the
evening. Though it is a bird universally known in the
United States, and inhabits North America in summer from

rictus armed, in some instances, with very powerful bristles. Their
organs of sight are also fitted only for a more gloomy light. They
appear only at twilight, reposing during the day among furze or brake,
or sitting, in their own peculiar manner, on a branch ; but if inactive
amidst the clearer light, they are all energy and action when their own
day has arrived. To these last will belong the common night hawk of
Europe ; and a detail, in comparison of its manners with those cf our
author, may assist in giving some idea of the truly nocturnal species, -
which are similar, so far as variation of country and circumstances will
allow. They are thus, in a few lines, accurately described by a poet
whom Wilson would have admired :—

Hark ! from yon quivering branch your direst foe,
Insects of night, its whirring note prolongs,

Loud as the sound of busy maiden’s wheel:

Then with expanded beak, and throat enlarged
Even to its utmost stretch, its ’ceustom’d food
Pursues voracious.

It frequents extensive moors and commons, perhaps more abundantly
if they are either interspersed or bordered with brush or wood. At the
commencement of twilight, when they are first roused from their daily
slumber, they perch on some bare elevation of the ground, an old wall
or fence, or heap of stones, in a moss country on a peat stack, and com-
mence their monotonous drum or whirr, closely resembling the dull
sound produced by a spinning-wheel ; and possessing the same variation
of apparent distance in the sound, a modification of ventriloquism, which
is perceived in the croak of the land rail, or the cry of the coot and
water rail, or croaking of frogs ; at one time it is so near as to cause an
alarm that you will disturb the utterer ; at another as if the bird had
removed to the extreme limit of the listener’s organs, while it remains
unseen at a distance of perhaps not more than forty or fifty yards. At
the commencement, this drumming sound seems to be continued for
about ten or fifteen minutes, and occasionally during the night in the inter-
vals of relaxation ; it is only, however, when perched that it is uttered,
and never for so great a length of time as at the first. Their flight is
never high, and is performed without any regularity; sometimes straight
forward and in gliding circles, with a slow, steady clap of the wings, in
the middle of which they will abruptly start into the air for thirty or
forty feet, resuming their former line by a gradual fall ; at other times
it will be performed in sudden jerks upwards, in the fall keeping the —
wings steady and closed over the back, skimming in the intervals near

‘a

NIGHT HAWK. 163

Florida to Hudson’s Bay, yet its history has been involved in
considerable obscurity by foreign writers, as well as by some
of our own country. Of this I shall endeavour to divest it in
the present account.

the ground, and still retaining the wings like some gulls or terns, or a
swallow dipping in the water, until they are again required to give the
stroke upwards ; all the while the tail is much expanded, and is a con-
spicuous object in the male, from the white spots on the outer feathers.
When in woods, or hawking near trees, the flight is made in glides among
the branches, or it flutters close to the summits, and seizes the various
Phalene which play around them. I once observed three or four of
these birds hawking in this manner, on the confines of a spruce fir plan-
tation, and, after various evolutions, they balanced themselves for a few
seconds on the very summits of the leading shoots. This was frequently
repeated while I looked on. During the whole of their flight, a short
snap of the bill is heard, and a sort of click, click, with the distinct sound
of the monosyllable whip, or, to convey the idea better, the sound of a
whip suddenly lashed without cracking. The female, when disturbed
from her nest, flits or skims along the surface for a short distance ; but
I have never seen the young or eggs removed in the manner related of
the American species, even after frequent annoyance. When the young
are approached at night, before they are perfectly fledged, the old birds
fly in circles round, approach very near, uttering incessantly their click-
ing cry, and make frequent dashes at the intruder, like a lapwing.

Among the night hawks, taking the form as understood to rank under
Caprimulgus of Linnzus, we have a close resemblance of general form
and characters, though there are one or two modifications which fully
entitle the species to separation, and which work beautifully in the system
of affinities or gradual development of form.* From these circumstances,
Mr Swainson has formed a new genus for our present species.

In colour, the whole of Caprimulqus is very closely allied ; “ drest,
but with Nature’s tenderest pencil touched,” in various shades of brown,
white, and russet ; the delicate blending of the markings produce an

* Tn some the mouth is furnished with very strong bristles, and in others it is
entirely destitute of them, as may be seen in the species of North America.
Again, the tail is square, round, or forked, sometimes to an extraordinary extent,
as in the C. psalurus of Azara, and in C. acutus the shafts of the feathers project
beyond the webs, and remind us of the genus Chetura. In some the tarsus is
extremely short and weak, and covered with plumes to the very toes, in others
long and naked. The wings are rounded or sharp-pointed ; and in the Sierra
goatsucker we have the shaft of one of the secondaries running out to the length
of twenty inches, with the web much expanded at the extremity, and presenting
no doubt during flight a most unique appearance.—ED.

164 NIGHT HAWK.

Three species only of this genus are found within the
United States—the chuck-will’s-widow, the whip-poor-will,
and the night hawk. The first of these is confined to those
States lying south of Maryland; the other two are found
generally over the Union, but are frequently confounded one
with the other, and by some supposed to be one and the same
bird. A comparison of this with the succeeding plate, which
contains the figure of the whip-poor-will, will satisfy those
who still have their doubts on this subject; and the great
difference of manners which distinguishes each will render
this still more striking and satisfactory.

On the last week in April, the night hawk commonly
makes its first appearance in this part of Pennsylvania. At
what particular period they enter Georgia, I am unable to
say ; but I find, by my notes, that in passing to New Orleans
by land, I first observed this bird in Kentucky on the 21st of
April. They soon after disperse generally over the country,
from the seashore to the mountains, even to the heights of
the Allechany ; and are seen towards evening, in pairs, playing

effect always pleasing—often more so than in those which can boast of
a more gorgeous apparel.

There is another structure in this bird which has given rise to much
conjecture among naturalists, particularly those whose opportunities of
observation have been comparatively limited, and has been looked upon
as a peculiarity existing in this genus only,—I allude to the serrature
of the centre claw. This structure we also find in many other genera,
totally different from the present in almost every particular, and where
the uses of combing its bristles or freeing itself from the vermin that
persons have been willing to afflict this species with in more than ordi-
nary proportions, could not be in any way applied. We find it among
the Ardeade, Platalea, Ibis, Phalacracorar, and Cursortius, all widely
differing in habit: the only assimilating form among them is the gene-
rally loose plumage. I have no hesitation in saying that the use of this
structure has not yet been ascertained, and that, when found out, it will
be different from any that has yet been suggested. The very variety of
forms among which we find it will bear this out, and the presence of it
in Caprimulgus will more likely turn out the extreme limit of the struc-
ture than that from which we should draw our conclusions. It is much
more prevalent among the Grallatores, and our present form is the only
one in any other division where it is at all found.—ED.

NIGHT HAWR. 165

about, high in air, pursuing their prey, wasps, flies, beetles,
and various other winged insects of the larger sort. About
the middle of May the female begins to lay. No previous
preparation or construction of a nest is made, though doubt-
less the particular spot has been reconnoitred and determined
on. ‘This is sometimes in an open space in the woods, fre-
quently in a ploughed field, or in the corner of a cornfield.
The eges are placed on the bare ground, in all cases on a dry
situation, where the colour of the leaves, ground, stones, or
other circumjacent parts of the surface, may resemble the
general tint of the eggs, and thereby render them less easy to
be discovered. ‘The eggs are most commonly two, rather
oblong, equally thick at both ends, of a dirty bluish white, and
marked with innumerable touches of dark olive brown. To
the immediate neighbourhood of this spot the male and female
confine themselves, roosting on the high trees adjoining
during the greater part of the day, seldom, however, together,
and almost always on separate trees. They also sit length-
wise on the branch, fence, or limb on which they roost, and
never across, like most other birds: this seems occasioned by
the shortness and slender form of their legs and feet, which
are not at all calculated to grasp the branch with sufficient
firmness to balance their bodies.

As soon as incubation commences, the male keeps a most
vigilant watch around. He is then more frequently seen
playing about in the air over the place, even during the day,
mounting by several quick vibrations of the wings, then a few
slower, uttering all the while a sharp, harsh squeak, till
having gained the highest point, he suddenly precipitates
himself, head foremost, and with great rapidity, down sixty
or eighty feet, wheeling up again as suddenly ; at which
instant is heard a loud booming sound, very much resembling
that produced by blowing strongly into the bunghole of an
empty hogshead, and which is doubtless produced by the
sudden expansion of his capacious mouth while he passes
through the air, as exhibited in the figure on the plate He

166 NIGHT HAWK.

again mounts by alternate quick and leisurely motions of the
wings, playing about as he ascends, uttering his usual hoarse
squeak, till, in a few minutes, he again dives with the same
impetuosity and violent sound as before. Some are of opinion
that this is done to intimidate man or beast from approaching
his nest, and he is particularly observed to repeat these divings
most frequently around those who come near the spot, sweep-
ing down past them, sometimes so near and so suddenly as
to startle and alarm them. The same individual is, however,
often seen performing these manceuvres over the river, the
hill, the meadow, and the marsh, in the space of a quarter of an
hour, and also towards the fall, when he has no nest. This
singular habit belongs peculiarly to the male. ‘The female
has, indeed, the common hoarse note, and much the same
mode of flight ; but never precipitates herself in the manner
of the male. During the time she is sitting, she will suffer
you to approach within a foot or two before she attempts to
stir, and, when she does, it is in such a fluttering, tumbling
manner, and with such appearance of a lame and wounded
bird, as nine times in ten to deceive the person, and induce
him to pursue her. This “ pious fraud,” as the poet Thomson
calls it, is kept wp until the person is sufficiently removed
from the nest, when she immediately mounts and disappears.
When the young are first hatched, it is difficult to distinguish
them from the surface of the ground, their down being of a
pale brownish colour, and they are altogether destitute of the
common shape of birds, sitting so fixed and so squat as to be
easily mistaken for a slight prominent mouldiness lying on the
ground. I cannot say whether they have two broods in the
season ; I rather conjecture that they have generally but one.

The night hawk is a bird of strong and vigorous flight,
and of large volume of wing. It often visits the city, darting
and squeaking over the streets at a great height, diving perpen-
dicularly with the same hollow sound as before described. I
have also seen them sitting on chimney tops in some of the most
busy parts of the city, occasionally uttering their common note.

NIGHT HAWR. 167

When the weather happens to be wet and gloomy, the
night hawks are seen abroad at all times of the day, generally
at a considerable height; their favourite time, however, is
from two hours before sunset until dusk. At such times they
seem all vivacity, darting about in the air in every direction,
making frequent short sudden turnings, as if busily engaged
in catching insects. Even in the hottest, clearest weather,
they are occasionally seen abroad, squeaking at short intervals.
They are also often found sitting along the fences, basking
themselves in the sun. Near the seashore, in the vicinity
of extensive salt marshes, they are likewise very numerous,
skimming over the meadows, in the manner of swallows,
until it is so dark that the eye can no longer follow them.

When wounded and taken, they attempt to intimidate you
by opening their mouth to its utmost stretch, throwing the
head forward, and uttering a kind of guttural whizzing sound,
striking also violently with their wings, which seem to be
their only offensive weapons, for they never attempt to strike
with the bill or claws.

About the middle of August they begin to move off
towards the south, at which season they may be seen almost
every evening, from five o’clock until after sunset, passing
along the Schuylkill and the adjacent shores, in widely
scattered multitudes, all steering towards the south. I have
counted several hundreds within sight at the same time, dis-
persed through the air, and darting after insects as they ad-
vanced. ‘These occasional processions continue for two or
three weeks; none are seen travelling in the opposite direc-
tion. Sometimes they are accompanied by at least twice as
many barn swallows, some chimney swallows and purple
martins. They are also most numerous immediately pre-
ceding a north-east storm. At this time also they abound in
the extensive meadows on the Schuylkill and Delaware, where
I have counted fifteen skimming over a single field in an
evening. On shooting some of these, on the 14th of August,
their stomachs were almost exclusively filled with crickets.

168 NIGHT HAWK.

From one of them I took nearly a common snuff-box full of
these insects, all seemingly fresh swallowed.

By the middle or 20th of September, very few of these
birds are to be seen in Pennsylvania ; how far south they go,
or at what particular time they pass the southern boundaries
of the United States, I am unable to say. None of them
winter in Georgia.

The ridiculous name goatsucker,—which was first bestowed
on the European species, from a foolish notion that it sucked
the teats of the goats, because, probably, it inhabited the
solitary heights where they fed, which nickname has been
since applied to the whole genus,—I have thought proper to
omit, There is something worse than absurd in continuing
to brand a whole family of birds with a knavish name, after
they are universally known to be innocent of the charge. It
is not only unjust, but tends to encourage the belief in an idle
fable that is totally destitute of all foundation.

The night hawk is nine inches and a half in length, and
twenty-three inches in extent; the upper parts are of a
very deep blackish brown, unmixed on the primaries, but
thickly sprinkled or powdered on the back scapulars and head
with innumerable minute spots and streaks of a pale cream
colour, interspersed with specks of reddish ; the scapulars are
barred with the same, also the tail-coverts and tail, the inner
edges of which are barred with white and deep brownish
black for an inch and a half from the tip, where they are
crossed broadly with a band of white, the two middle ones
excepted, which are plain deep brown, barred and sprinkled
with light clay ; a spot of pure white extends over the five
first primaries, the outer edge of the exterior feather excepted,
and about the middle of the wing; a triangular spot of white
also marks the throat, bending up on each side of the neck ;
the bill is exceedingly small, scarcely one-eighth of an inch in
length, and of a black colour; the nostrils circular, and sur-
rounded with a prominent rim ; eye, large and full, of a deep
bluish black ; the legs are short, feathered a little below the

SRA

Drawn fom: Nace by 4 ¥ilson Fugraved by WHELs
1. Whap-poor-will. 2. Female.
+41.

WHIP-POOR-WILL. 169

knees, and, as well as the toes, of a purplish flesh colour,
seamed with white; the middle claw is pectinated on its inner
edge, to serve as a comb to clear the bird of vermin; the
whole lower parts of the body are marked with transverse
lines of dusky and yellowish. The tail is somewhat. shorter
than the wings when shut, is handsomely forked, and consists
of ten broad feathers; the mouth is extremely large, and of a
reddish flesh colour within; there are no bristles about the
bill; the tongue is very small, and attached to the inner sur-
face of the mouth. .

The female measures about nine inches in length, and
twenty-two in breadth; differs in having no white band on
the tail, but has the spot of white on the wing; wants the
triangular spot of white on the throat, instead of which there
is a dully defined mark of a reddish cream-colour ; the wings
are nearly black, all the quills being slightly tipt with white ;
the tail is as in the male, and minutely tipt with white ; all
the scapulars, and whole upper parts, are powdered with a
much lighter gray.

There is no description of the present species in Turton’s
translation of Linnzus. The characters of the genus given
in the same work are also in this case incorrect, viz., “mouth
furnished with a series of bristles; tail not forked,’—the
night hawk having nothing of the former, and its tail being
largely forked.

WHIP-POOR-WILL. (Caprimulgus vociferus.)
PLATE XLI.—Fic. 1, MALE; Fic. 2, FEMALE; Fia. 3, YouNG.

Peale’s Museum, No. 7721, male ; 7722, female.

CAPRIMULGUS VOCIFERUS.—WILSON.

Caprimulgus vociferus, Bonap. Synop. p. 61.—WNorth. Zool. ii. p. 336.— Whip-
poor-will, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 422, pl. 32..

Tuis is a singular and very celebrated species, universally
noted over the greater part of the United States for the loud

170 WHIP-POORK-WILL.

reiterations of his favourite call in spring ; and yet personally
he is but little known, most people being unable to distinguish
this from the preceding species when both are placed before
them, and some insisting that they are the same. This
being the case, it becomes the duty of his historian to give a
full and faithful delineation of his character and peculiarity
of manners, that his existence as a distinct and independent
species may no longer be doubted, nor his story mingled con-
fusedly with that of another. I trust that those best acquainted
with him will bear witness to the fidelity of the portrait.

On or about the 25th of April, if the season be not un-
commonly cold, the whip-poor-will is first heard in this part
of Pennsylvania, in the evening as the dusk of twilight com-
mences, or in the morning as soon as dawn has broke. In
the State of Kentucky I first heard this bird on the 14th of
April, near the town of Danville. ‘The notes of this solitary
bird, from the ideas which are naturally associated with them,
seem like the voice of an old friend, and are listened to by
almost all with great interest. At first they issued from some
retired part of the woods, the glen, or mountain; in a few
evenings, perhaps, we hear them from the adjoining coppice,
the garden fence, the road before the door, and even from the
roof of the dwelling-house, long after the family have retired to
rest. Some of the more ignorant and superstitious consider this
near approach as foreboding no good to the family,—nothing
less than sickness, misfortune, or death, to some of its mem-
bers. These visits, however, so often occur without any bad
consequences, that this superstitious dread seems on the decline.

He is now a regular acquaintance. Every morning and
evening his shrill and rapid repetitions are heard from the
adjoining woods, and when two or more are calling out at
the same time, as is often the case in the pairing season, and
at no great distance from each other, the noise, mingling with
the echoes from the mountains, is really surprising. Strangers,
in parts of the country where these birds are numerous, find
it almost impossible for some time to sleep; while to those

WHIP-POOR-WILL. 171

long acquainted with them, the sound often serves as a lullaby
to assist their repose.

These notes seem pretty plainly to articulate the words
which have been generally applied to them, ewhzp-poor-will,
the first and last syllables being uttered with great emphasis,
and the whole in about a second to each repetition; but when
two or more males meet, their whip-poor-will altercations be-
come much more rapid and incessant, as if each were straining
to overpower or silence the other. When near, you often hear
an introductory cluck between the notes. At these times, as
well as at almost all others, they fly low, not more than a few
feet from the surface, skimming about the house and before
the door, alighting on the wood pile, or settling on the roof.
Towards midnight they generally become silent, unless in
clear moonlight, when they are heard with little intermission
till morning. If there be a creek near, with high precipitous
bushy banks, they are sure to be found in such situations. Dur-
ing the day they sit in the most retired, solitary, and deep
shaded parts of the woods, generally on high ground, where
they repose in silence. When disturbed, they rise within a few
feet, sail low and slowly through the woods for thirty or forty
yards, and generally settle on a low branch or on the ground.
Their sight appears deficient during the day, as, like owls,
they seem then to want that vivacity for which they are dis-
tinguished in the morning and evening twilight. They are
rarely shot at or molested ; and from being thus transiently
seen in the obscurity of dusk, or in the deep umbrage of the
woods, no wonder their particular markings of plumage should
be so little known, or that they should be confounded with
the night hawk, whom in general appearance they so much
resemble. The female begins to lay about the second week
in May, selecting for this purpose the most unfrequented part
of the wood, often where some brush, old logs, heaps of leaves,
&c., had been lying, and always on a dry situation. The
eges are deposited on the ground or on the leaves, not the
slightest appearance of a nest being visible. These are

172 WHIP-POOR-WILL.

usually two in number, in shape much resembling those of
the night hawk, but having the ground colour much darker,
and more thickly marbled with dark olive. The precise
period of incubation I am unable to say.

In traversing the woods one day, in the early part of June,
along the brow of a rocky declivity, a whip-poor-will rose from
my feet, and fluttered along, sometimes prostrating herself,
and beating the ground with her wings, as if just expiring.
Aware of her purpose, I stood still, and began to examine the
space immediately around me for the eggs or young, one or
other of which I was certain must be near. After a long
search, to my mortification, I could find neither; and was just
going to abandon the spot, when I perceived somewhat like a
slight mouldiness among the withered leaves, and, on stooping
down, discovered it to be a young whip-poor-will, seemingly
asleep, as its eyelids were nearly closed; or perhaps this might
only be to protect its tender eyes from the glare of day. I sat
down by it on the leaves, and drew it as it then appeared.
(See fig. 3.) It was probably not a week old. All the while
I was thus engaged, it neither moved its body, nor opened its
eyes more than half; and I left it as I found it. After I had
walked about a quarter of a mile from the spot, recollecting
that I had left a pencil behind, I returned and found my’
pencil, but the young bird was gone.

Early in June, as soon as the young appear, the notes of the
male usually cease, or are heard but rarely. ‘Towards the
latter part of summer, a short time before these birds leave
us, they are again occasionally heard; but their call is then
not so loud—much less emphatical, and more interrupted than
in spring. Early in September they move off towards the south.

The favourite places of resort for these birds are on high,
dry situations; in low, marshy tracts of country they are
seldom heard. It is probably on this account that they are
scarce on the sea-coast and its immediate neighbourhood,
while towards the mountains they are very numerous. The
night hawks, on the contrary, delight in these extensive sea

WHIP-POOR- WILL. 173

marshes, and are much more numerous there than in the
interior and higher parts of the country. But nowhere in
the United States have I found the whip-poor-will in such
numbers as in that tract of country in the State of Kentucky
called the Barrens. This appears to be their most congenial
climate and place of residence. There, from the middle of
April to the Ist of June, as soon as the evening twilight
draws on, the shrill and confused clamours of these birds are
incessant, and very surprising to a stranger. They soon, how-
ever, become extremely agreeable; the inhabitants lie down
at nicht lulled by their whistlings, and the first approach of
dawn is announced by a general and lively chorus of the same
music; while the full-toned tooting, as it is called, of the
pinnated grouse forms a very pleasing bass to the whole.

I shall not, in the manner of some, attempt to amuse the
reader with a repetition of the unintelligible names given to
this bird by the Indians, or the superstitious notions generally
entertained of it by the same people. These seem as various
as the tribes, or even families, with which you converse;
scarcely two of them will tell you the same story. It is easy,
however, to observe, that this, like the owl, and other nocturnal
birds, is held by them in a kind of suspicious awe, as a bird
with which they wish to have as little to do as possible. The
superstition of the Indian differs very little from that of an
illiterate German or Scots Highlander, or the less informed of
any other nation. It suggests ten thousand fantastic notions
to each, and these, instead of being recorded with all the
punctilio of the most important truths, seem only fit to be
forgotten. Whatever, among either of these people, is strange
and not comprehended, is usually attributed to supernatural
agency; and an unexpected sight or uncommon incident is
often ominous of good, but more generally of bad, fortune to
the parties. Night, to minds of this complexion, brings with
it its kindred horrors, its apparitions, strange sounds, and
awful sights; and this solitary and inoffensive bird, being a
frequent wanderer in these hours of ghosts and hobgoblins, is

174 WHIP-POOR-WILL.

considered by the Indians as being, by habit and repute, little
better than one of them. All these people, however, are not
so credulous; I have conversed with Indians who treated these
silly notions with contempt.

The whip-poor-will is never seen during the day, unless in
circumstances such as have been described. Their food appears
to be large moths, grasshoppers, pismires, and such insects as
frequent the bark of old rotten and decaying timber. They
are also expert in darting after winged insects. They will
sometimes skim in the dusk within a few feet of a person,
uttering a kind of low chatter as they pass. In their migra-
tions north, and on their return, they probably stop a day or
two at some of their former stages, and do not advance in one
continued flight. The whip-poor-will was first heard this
season (1811) on the 2d day of May, in a corner of Mr
Bartram’s woods, not far from the house, and for two or three
mornings after in the same place, where I also saw it. From
this time until the beginning of September, there were none
of these birds to be found within at least one mile of the place,
though I frequently made search for them. On the 4th of
September, the whip-poor-will was again heard for two even-
ings successively in the same part of the woods. I also heard
several of them passing, within the same week, between dusk
and nine o'clock at night, it being then clear moonlight.
These repeated their notes three or four times, and were
heard no more. It is highly probable that they migrate
during the evening and night.

The whip-poor-will is nine inches and a half long, and
nineteen inches in extent; the bill is blackish, a full quarter
of an inch long, much stronger than that of the night hawk,
and bent a little at the point, the under mandible arched a
little upwards, following the curvature of the upper; the
nostrils are prominent and tubular, their openings directed
forward; the mouth is extravagantly large, of a pale flesh
colour within, and beset along the sides with a number of
long, thick, elastic bristles, the longest of which extends more

WHIP-POOR-WILL. 175

than half an inch beyond the point of the bill, end in fine hair,
and curve inwards; these seem to serve as feelers; and pre-
vent the escape of winged insects: the eyes are very large,
full, and bluish black; the plumage above is so variegated
with black, pale cream, brown, and rust colour, sprinkled and
powdered in such minute streaks and spots as to defy descrip-
tion; the upper part of the head is of a light brownish gray,
marked with a longitudinal streak of black, with others radi-
ating from it; the back is darker, finely streaked with a less
deep black; the scapulars are very light whitish ochre, beauti-
fully variegated with two or three oblique streaks of very deep
black ; the tail is rounded, consisting of ten feathers, the exterior
one an inch and a quarter shorter than the middle ones, the
three outer feathers on each side are blackish brown for half
their length, thence pure white to the tips; the exterior one
is edged with deep brown nearly to the tip; the deep brown
of these feathers is regularly studded with light brown spots ;
the four middle ones are without the white at the ends, but
beautifully marked with herring-bone figures of black and
light ochre finely powdered ; cheeks and sides of the head, of
a brown orange or burnt colour; the wings, when shut, reach
scarcely to the middle of the tail, and are elegantly spotted
with very light and dark brown, but are entirely without the
large spot of white which distinguishes those of the night
hawk; chin, black streaked with brown; a narrow semi-
circle of white passes across the throat; breast and belly,
uregularly mottled and streaked with black and yellow
ochre; the legs and feet are of a light purplish flesh colour,
seamed with white; the former feathered before, nearly to
the feet; the two exterior toes are joined to the middle one,
as far as the first joint, by a broad membrane ; the inner edge
of the middle claw is pectinated, and, from the circumstance
of its being frequently found with small portions of down
adhering to the teeth, is probably employed as a comb to rid
the plumage of its head of vermin; this being the principal
and almost only part so infested in all birds.

176 WHIP-POOR-WILL.

The female is about an inch less in length and in extent ;
the bill, mustaches, nostrils, &c., as in the male. She differs
in being much lighter on the upper parts, seeming as if
powdered with grains of meal; and, instead of the white on
the three lateral tail-feathers, has them tipt for about three-
quarters of an inch with a cream colour; the bar across the
throat is also of a brownish ochre; the cheeks and region of
the eyes are brighter brownish orange, which passes also to
the neck, and is sprinkled with black and specks of white;
the streak over the eye is also lighter.

The young was altogether covered with fine down, of a
pale brown colour ; the shafts, or rather sheaths, of the quills,
bluish ; the point of the bill, just perceptible.

Twenty species of this singular genus are now known to
naturalists ; of these, one only belongs to Europe, one to Africa,
one to New Holland, two to India, and fifteen to America.

The present species, though it approaches nearer in its
plumage to that of Europe than any other of the tribe, differs
from it in being entirely without the large spot of white on
the wing, and in being considerably less. Its voice and par-
ticular call are also entirely different.

Further to illustrate the history of this bird, the following
notes are added, made at the time of dissection :—Body, when
stript of the skin, less than that of the wood thrush; breast-
bone, one inch in length ; second stomach, strongly muscular,
filled with fragments of pismires and grasshoppers ; skin of
the bird, loose, wrinkly, and scarcely attached to the flesh ;
flesh, also loose, extremely tender; bones, thin and slender ;
sinews and muscles of the wing, feeble ; distance between the
tips of both mandibles, when expanded, full two inches ; length
of the opening, one inch and a half, breadth, one inch and a
quarter ; tongue, very short, attached to the skin of the mouth ;
its internal parts, or os hyoides, pass up the hind head, and
reach to the front, like those of the woodpecker, which
enable the bird to revert the lower part of the mouth in the

act of seizing insects and in calling; skull, extremely light

WHIP-POOR-WILL. 177

and thin, being semi-transparent, its cavity nearly half occu-
pied by the eyes; aperture for the brain, very small, the
quantity not exceeding that of a sparrow; an owl of the same
extent of wing has at least ten times as much.

Though this noted bird has been so frequently mentioned
by name, and its manners taken notice of by almost every
naturalist who has written on our birds, yet personally it has
never yet been described by any writer with whose works I
am acquainted. Extraordinary as this may seem, it is never-
theless true ; and in proof I offer the following facts :—

Three species only of this genus are found within the
United States, the chuck-will’s-widow, the night hawk, and
the whip-poor-will. Catesby, in the eighth plate of his
“Natural History of Carolina,” has figured the first, and in the
sixteenth of his Appendix the second ; to this he has added
particulars of the whip-poor-will, believing it to be that bird,
and has ornamented his figure of the night hawk with a
large bearded appendage, of which in nature it is entirely
destitute. After him, Mr Edwards in his sixty-third plate
has in like manner figured the night hawk, also adding the
bristles, and calling his figure the whip-poor-will, accom-
panying it with particulars of the notes, &., of that bird,
chiefly copied from Catesby. The next writer of eminence
who has spoken of the whip-poor-will is Mr Pennant, justly
considered as one of the most judicious and discriminating of
English naturalists; but, deceived by ‘‘ the lights he had,” he
has, in his account of the short-winged goatsucker * (Arct.
Zool., p. 434), given the size, markings of plumage, &c., of the
chuck-will’s-widow ; and, in the succeeding account of his
long-winged goatsucker, describes pretty accurately the
night hawk. Both of these birds he considers to be the
whip-poor-will, and as having the same notes and manners.

After such authorities, it was less to be wondered at that
many of our own citizens, and some of our naturalists and

* The figure is by mistake called the long-winged goatsucker. See

“ Arctic Zoology,” vol. i. pl. 18.
Oy A. M

178 WATP-POOR-WILL.

writers, should fall into the like mistake, as copies of the
works of those English naturalists are to be found in several
of our colleges, and in some of our public as well as private
libraries. The means which the author of “ American Ornitho-
logy” took to satisfy hisown mind, and those of his friends, on
this subject, were detailed at large in a paper published about
two years ago in a periodical work of this city,* with which
extract I shall close my account of the present species :—

“ On the question, Is the whip-poor-will and the night
hawk one and the same bird, or are they really two distinct
species ? there has long been an opposition of sentiment, and
many fruitless disputes. Numbers of sensible and observing
people, whose intelligence and long residence in the country
entitle their opinion to respect, positively assert that the night
hawk and the whip-poor-will are very different birds, and
do not even associate together. The naturalists of Hurope,
however, have generally considered the two names as appli-
cable to one and the same species ; and this opinion has also
been adopted by two of our most distinguished naturalists,
Mr William Bartram of Kingsessing,+ and Professor Barton
of Philadelphia.t The writer of this, being determined to
ascertain the truth by examining for himself, took the following
effectual mode of settling this disputed point, the particulars of
which he now submits to those interested in the question :—

“Thirteen of those birds usually called night hawks,
which dart about in the air like swallows, and sometimes
descend with rapidity from a great height, making a hollow
sounding noise like that produced by blowing into the bung-
hole of an empty hogshead, were shot at different times and
in different places, and accurately examined, both outwardly
and by dissection. Nine of these were found to be males, and

* The Portfolio.

{ Caprimulgus Americanus, night hawk or whip-poor-will (Travels,

- 292).
; a Cela at Virginianus, whip-poor-will or night hawk (Frag-
ments of the Natural History of Pennsylvania, p. 3). See also Ameri-
can Phil. Trans., vol. iv. p. 208, 209, note.

WHIP-POOR-WILL. 179

four females. The former all corresponded in the markings
and tints of their plumage; the latter also agreed in their
marks, differing slightly from the males, though evidently of
the same species. ‘Two others were shot as they rose from
the nests, or rather from the eggs, which, in both cases, were
two in number, lying on the open ground. These also agreed
in the markings of their plumage with the four preceding,
and, on dissection, were found to be females. The eggs were
also secured. A whip-poor-will was shot in the evening,
while in the act of repeating his usual and well-known notes.
This bird was found to be a male, differing in many remark-
able particulars from all the former. Three others were shot
at different times during the day, in solitary and dark shaded
parts of the wood. ‘Two of these were found to be females,
one of which had been sitting on two eggs. The two females
resembled each other almost exactly ; the male also corre-
sponded in its markings with the one first found, and all four
were evidently of one species. The eggs differed from the
former both in colour and markings.

‘““The differences between these two birds were as follows:
—The sides of the mouth in both sexes of the whip-poor-will
were beset with ranges of long and very strong bristles,
extending more than half an inch beyond the point of the
bill ; both sexes of the night hawk were entirely destitute of
bristles. The bill of the whip-poor-will was also more than
twice the length of that of the night hawk. The long wing-
quills of both sexes of the night hawk were of a deep
brownish black, with a large spot of white nearly in their
middle, and, when shut, the tips of the wings extended a little
beyond the tail. The wing-quills of the whip-poor-will of both
sexes were beautifully spotted with light brown—had no spot
of white on them—and, when shut, the tips of the wings did
not reach to the tip of the tail by at least two inches. ‘The tail
of the night hawk was handsomely forked, the exterior feathers
being the longest, shortening gradually to the middle ones ;
the tail of the whip-poor-will was rounded, the exterior feathers
being the shortest, lengthening gradually to the middle ones.

180 RED OWL.

“ After a careful examination of these and several other re-
markable differences, it was impossible to withstand the con-
viction that these birds belonged to two distinct species of the
same genus, differing in size, colour, and conformation of
parts.

‘A statement of the principal of these facts having been
laid before Mr Bartram, together with a male and female of
each of the above-mentioned species, and also a male of the
great Virginian bat, or chuck-will’s-widow, after a particular
examination, that venerable naturalist was pleased to declare
himself fully satisfied; adding, that he had now no doubt of
the night hawk and the whip-poor-will being two very distinct
species of Caprimulqus.

“Tt is not the intention of the writer of this to enter at pre-
sent into a description of either the plumage, manners, migra-
tions, or economy of these birds, the range of country they
inhabit, or the superstitious notions entertained of them ; his
only object at present is the correction of an error, which, from
the respectability of those by whom it was unwarily adopted,
has been but too extensively disseminated, and received by too
many as a truth.”

RED OWL. (Strix asio.)
PLATE XLIT.—Fia. 1, FEMALE.
Little Owl, Catesb. i. 7.—Lath. i. 123.—Linn. Syst. 132.—Arct. Zool. ii. No. 117.

—Turton, Syst. i. p. 166.—Peale’s Museum, No. 428.

STRIX ASTO.—Linnzvus.—Youne.*
Strix asio, Bonap. Synop. p. 36.

THis is another of our nocturnal wanderers, well known by
its common name, the /ttle screech owl; and noted for its
melancholy qnivering kind of wailing in the evenings, parti-
cularly towards the latter part of summer and autumn, near
the farmhouse. On clear moonlight nights, they answer each

* See Vol. I. for description of the adult of this species, and Note.

Liars

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ai
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ay ty

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42.

RED OWL. 181

other from various parts of the fields or orchard ; roost during
the day in thick evergreens, such as cedar, pine, or juniper
trees, and are rarely seen abroad in sunshine. In May, they
construct their nest in the hollow of a tree, often in the orchard
in an old apple tree; the nest is composed of some hay and a
few feathers; the eggs are four, pure white, and nearly round.
The young are at first covered mith a whitish down.

The bird represented on the plate I kept for several weeks
in the room beside me. It was caught in a barn, where it had
taken up its lodging, probably for the greater convenience of
mousing ; and being unhurt, I had an opportunity of remark-
ing its manners. At first, it struck itself so forcibly against
the window, as frequently to deprive it, seemingly, of all sen-
sation for several minutes: this was done so repeatedly, that I
began to fear that either the glass or the owl’s skull must give
way. Ina few days, however, it either began to comprehend
something of the matter, or to take disgust at the glass, for it
never repeated its attempts; and soon became quite tame and
familiar. Those who have seen this bird only in the day can
form but an imperfect idea of its activity, and even spright-
liness, in its proper season of exercise. Throughout the day, it
was all stillness and gravity,—its eyelids half shut, its neck
contracted, and its head shrunk seemingly into its body ; but
scarcely was the sun set, and twilight began to approach, when
its eyes became full and sparkling, like two living globes of
fire; it crouched on its perch, reconnoitered every object
around with looks of eager fierceness ; alighted and fed ; stood
on the meat with clenched talons, while it tore it in morsels
with its bill; flew round the room with the silence of thought,
and perching, moaned out its melancholy notes with many
lively gesticulations, not at all accordant with the pitiful tone
of its ditty, which reminded one of the shivering moanings
of a half-frozen puppy.

This species is found generally over the United States, and
is not migratory.

The red owl is eight inches and a half long, and twenty-

182 WARBLING FLYCATCHER.

one inches in extent ; general colour of the plumage above,
a bright nut brown or tawny red ; the shafts, black ; exterior
edges of the outer row of scapulars, white ; bastard wing, the
five first primaries, and three or four of the first greater coverts,
also spotted with white; whole wing-quills, spotted with dusky
on their exterior webs ; tail, rounded, transversely barred with
dusky and pale brown ; chin, breast, and sides, bright reddish
brown, streaked laterally with black, intermixed with white ;
belly and vent, white, spotted with bright brown ; legs, covered
to the claws with pale brown hairy down ; extremities of the
toes and claws, pale bluish, ending in black; bill, a pale
bluish horn colour ; eyes, vivid yellow ; inner angles of the
eyes, eyebrows, and space surrounding the bill, whitish; rest
of the face, nut brown; head, horned or eared, each horn
consisting of nine or ten feathers of a tawny red, shafted with
black.

WARBLING FLYCATCHER. (Muscicapa melodia.)
PLATE XLII.—Fie. 2.

VIREO GILVUS.—BoNAPARTE.
Muscicapa gilva, Vieill. pl. 34. (auct. Bonap.)—Vireo gilvus, Bonap. Synop. p. 70.
Nomen. sp. 123,
Tis sweet little warbler is for the first time figured and
described. In its general appearance it resembles the red-
eyed flycatcher ; but, on a close comparison, differs from that
bird in many particulars. It arrives in Pennsylvania about
the middle of April, and inhabits the thick foliage of orchards
and high trees; its voice is soft, tender, and soothing, and its
notes flow in an easy, continued strain, that is extremely
pleasing. It is often heard among the weeping willows and
Lombardy poplars of this city; is rarely observed in the
woods, but seems particularly attached to the society of man.
It gleans among the leaves, occasionally darting after winged
insects, and searching for caterpillars; and seems by its

PURPLE FINCH. 183

manners to partake considerably of the nature of the genus
sylvia. It is late in departing, and I have frequently heard
its notes among the fading leaves of the poplar in October.

This little bird may be distinguished from all the rest of our
songsters by the soft, tender, easy flow of its notes while hid
among the foliage. In these there is nothing harsh, sudden,
or emphatical ; they glide along in a kind of meandering
strain, that is peculiarly its own. In May and June it may
be generally heard in the orchards, the borders of the city,
and around the farmhouse.

This species is five inches and a half long, and eight inches
and a half in extent; bill, dull lead colour above, and notched
near the point, lower, a pale flesh colour; eye, dark hazel ;
line over the eye, and whole lower parts, white, the latter
tinged with very pale greenish yellow near the breast ; upper
parts, a pale green olive ; wings, brown, broadly edged with
pale olive green ; tail, slightly forked, edged with olive; the
legs and feet, pale lead ; the head inclines a little to ash ; no
white on the wings or tail. Male and female nearly alike.

PURPLE FINCH. (fringilla purpurea.)
PLATE XLII.—Fie. 3.
ERYTHROSPIZA PURPUREA.— BONAPARTE. *

Tus bird is represented as he appears previous to receiving
his crimson plumage, and also when moulting. By recurring
to the figure in Vol. I. pl. 7, fig. 4, of this work, which exhibits
him in his full dress, the great difference of colour will be
observed to which this species is annually subject.

It is matter of doubt with me whether this species ought
not to be classed with the Zoxia; the great thickness of the
bill, and similarity that prevails between this and the pine
grosbeak, almost induced me to adopt it into that class. But

* See description of adult male, Note and Synonyms, Vol. I. p. 119.

184 PURPLE FINCH.

respect for other authorities has prevented me from making
this alteration.

When these birds are taken in their crimson dress, and
kept in a cage till they moult their feathers, they uniformly
change to their present appearance, and sometimes never
after receive their red colour. They are also subject, if well
fed, to become so fat as literally to die of corpulency, of which
I have seen several instances; being at these times subject to
something resembling apoplexy, from which they sometimes
recover in a few minutes, but oftener expire in the same space
of time.

The female is entirely without the red, and differs from the
present only in having less yellow about her.

These birds regularly arrive from the north, where they
breed, in September, and visit us from the south again early
in April, feeding on the cherry blossoms as soon as they
appear. Of the particulars relative to this species, the reader
is referred to the account in Vol. I., already mentioned.

The individual figured in the plate measured six inches and
a quarter in length, and ten inches in extent; the bill was
horn coloured; upper parts of the plumage, brown olive,
strongly tinged with yellow, particularly on the rump, where
it was brownish yellow ; from above the eye, backwards, passed
a streak of white, and another more irrecular one from the
lower mandible ; feathers of the crown, narrow, rather long,
and generally erected, but not so as to form a crest; nostrils
and base of the bill, covered with reflected brownish hairs ;
eye, dark hazel; wings and tail, dark blackish brown, edged
with olive ; first and second row of coverts, tipt with pale
yellow; chin, white; breast, pale cream, marked with pointed
spots of deep olive brown; belly and vent, white; legs, brown.
This bird, with several others marked nearly in the same
manner, ‘was shot 25th April, while engaged in eating the
buds from the beech tree.

BROWN LARK: 185

BROWN LARK. (Alauda rufa.)
PLATE XLII.—Fie. 4.

Red Lark, Zdw. 297.—Arct. Zool. No. 279.—Lath. ii. 376.—L’ Alouette aux joues
brunes de Pennsylvanie, Buff. v. 58.—Peale’s Museum, No. 5158.

ANTHUS LUDOVICIANUS.— BONAPARTE.”

Synonyms of Anthus Ludovicianus, Bonap. (from his Nomenclature) :—‘‘ Alauda
rubra, Gmel. Lath.—Alauda Ludoviciana, Gmel. Lath.—Alauda Pennsyl-
vanica, Briss.—Farlouzanne, Buff. Ois.—Alouette aux joues brunes de
Pennsylvanie, Buf. Ois.—Lark from Pennsylvania, Hd. Gillean. p. 297.—Red
Lark, Penn. Brit. and Arct. Zool. Lath. Syn.—Louisiana Lark, Lath. Syn.”—
Anthus spinoletta, Bonap. Synop. p. 90.

In what particular district of the northern regions this bird
breeds, Iam unable to say. In Pennsylvania, it first arrives
from the north about the middle of October ; flies in loose
scattered flocks ; is strongly attached to flat, newly-ploughed

* Anthus is a genus of Bechstein’s, formed to contain birds which
have been generally called larks, but which have a nearer resemblance
to the Motacille, or wagtails, and the accentors, They are also allied
to Sewuwrus of Swainson.

The Prince of Musignano made this identical with the European
rock lark, Anthus aquaticus, Bechst., Alauda spinoletta, Linn. ; but in
his observations on Wilson’s nomenclature, saw reason to change his
opinion, and it will now stand as A, Ludovicianus of that gentleman.
Audubon has, on the other hand, placed it in his “ Biography” as the
European bird, but I fear, with too slender comparison ; and the same
name is mentioned in the “ Northern Zoology,” without comparing the
arctic specimens with those of Britain or Europe. On these accounts, I
rather trust to the observations of Bonaparte, which have been made
from actual comparison. It must also be recollected, that the summer
and winter dress of the Anthi differ very considerably in their shades.

Audubon has introduced in his “ Biography” another Anthus, which
he considers new, under the title of pipiens. It was only met with
once, in the extensive prairies of the north-western States, where two
were killed; and though allied to the common brown titlark, were
distinguished by the difference of their notes. If these specimens were
not preserved, the species must rest on the authority of Mr Audubon’s
plate, and, of course, admitted with doubt.—Eb.

186 BROWN LARK.

fields, commons, and such like situations; has a feeble note,
characteristic of its tribe ; runs rapidly along the ground ;
and, when the flock takes to wing, they fly high, and generally
to a considerable distance before they alight. Many of them
continue in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia all winter, if
the season be moderate. In the southern States, particularly
in the lower parts of North and South Carolina, I found these
larks in great abundance in the middle of February. Loose
flocks of many hundreds were driving about from one corn-
field to another; and, in the low rice-grounds, they were
in great abundance. On opening numbers of these, they
appeared to have been feeding on various small seeds, with a
large quantity of gravel. On the 8th of April, I shot several
of these birds in the neighbourhood of Lexington, Kentucky.
In Pennsylvania, they generally disappear, on their way to
the north, about the beginning of May, or earlier. At Port-
land, in the district of Maine, I met with a flock of these
birds in October. I do not know that they breed within the
United States. Of their song, nest, eggs, &c., we have no
account.

The brown lark is six inches long, and ten inches and a
half in extent; the upper parts, brown olive, touched with
dusky ; greater coverts and next superior row, lighter ; bill,
black, slender; nostril, prominent; chin and line over the
eye, pale rufous ; breast and belly, brownish ochre, the former
spotted with black; tertials, black, the secondaries brown,
edged with lighter; tail, slightly forked, black ; the two ex-
terior feathers, marked largely with white; legs, dark purplish
brown ; hind heel, long, and nearly straight; eye, dark hazel.
Male and female nearly alike. Mr Pennant says that one of
these birds was shot near London.

Drawn tromNature be A Wilson : F Engraved by WH Lizars.

l. Turtle Dove. 2. Hermit Thrush. 3. Lawnev: Thrush. 4. Pine swamp Warbler.
43.

CAROLINA PIGEON. 187

CAROLINA PIGEON OR TURTLE DOVE. (Columba

Carolinensis.)
PLATE XLITI.—Fice. 1.

Linn. Syst. 286.—Catesb. Car. i. 24. — Buff. ii. 557, Pl. ent. 175.—La Tourterelle
de la Caroline, Brisson, i. 110.—Peale’s Museum, No. 5088.—Turton, 479.—
Arct. Zool. ii. No. 188.

ECTOPISTES CAROLINENSIS.—SwWAINSON.

Genus Ectopistes, Swain. N. Groups. Zool. Journ. No. xi. p. 362.—Columba
Carolinensis, Bonap. Synop. p. 119.—The Carolina Turtle Dove, Aud. Orn.
Biog. i. 91, pl. 17, male and female.

Tis is a favourite bird with all those who love to wander
among our woods in spring, and listen to their varied harmony.
They will there hear many a singular and sprightly performer,
but none so mournful as this. The hopeless woe of settled
sorrow, swelling the heart of female innocence itself, could not
assume tones more sad, more tender and affecting. Its notes
are four; the first is somewhat the highest, and preparatory,
seeming to be uttered with an inspiration of the breath, as if
the afflicted creature were just recovering its voice from the
last convulsive sobs of distress; this is followed by three long,
deep, and mournful moanings, that no person of sensibility
can listen to without sympathy. A pause of a few minutes
ensues, and again the solemn voice of sorrow is renewed
as before. This is generally heard in the deepest shaded
parts of the woods, frequently about noon and towards the
evening.

There is, however, nothing of real distress in all this; quite
the reverse. ‘The bird who utters it wantons by the side of his
beloved partner, or invites her by his call to some favourite
retired and shady retreat. It is the voice of love, of faithful
connubial affection, for which the whole family of doves are
so celebrated ; and, among them all, none more deservingly so
than the species now before us.

188 CAROLINA PIGEON.

The turtle dove is a general inhabitant in summer of the
United States, from Canada to Florida, and from the sea-coast
to the Mississippi, and far to the westward. They are, how-
ever, partially migratory in the northern and middle States ;
and collect together in North and South Carolina, and their
corresponding parallels, in great numbers, during the winter.
On the 2d of February, in the neighbourhood of Newbern,
North Carolina, I saw a flock of turtle doves of many hundreds ;
in other places, as I advanced farther south, particularly near
the Savannah river, in Georgia, the woods were swarming with
them, and the whistling of their wings was heard in every
direction.

On their return to the north in March and early in April,
they disperse so generally over the country, that there are
rarely more than three or four seen together—most frequently
only two. Here they commonly fly in pairs, resort constantly
to the public roads to dust themselves and procure gravel; are
often seen in the farmer’s yard before the door, the stable, barn,
and other outhouses, in search of food, seeming little inferior
in familiarity, at such times, to the domestic pigeon. They
often mix with the poultry while they are fed in the morning,

visit the yard and adjoining road many times a day, and the

pump, creek, horse-trough, and rills for water.

Their flight is quick, vigorous, and always accompanied by
a peculiar whistling of the wings, by which they can easily be
distinguished from the wild pigeon. They fly with great
swiftness, alight on trees, fences, or on the ground indiscrimi-
nately ; are exceedingly fond of buckwheat, hempseed, and
Indian-corn ; feed on the berries of the holly, the dogwood,
and poke, huckleberries, partridge-berries, and the small
acorns of the live oak and shrub oak. They devour large
quantities of gravel, and sometimes pay a visit to the kitchen
garden for peas, for which they have a particular regard.

In this part of Pennsylvania, they commence building
about the beginning of May. The nest is very rudely con-
structed, generally in an evergreen, among the thick foliage

CAROLINA PIGEON. I 89

of the vine, in an orchard, on the horizontal branches of an
apple tree, and, in some cases, on the ground. It is composed
of a handful of small twigs, laid with little art, on which are
scattered dry fibrous roots of plants; and in this almost flat
bed are deposited two eggs of a snowy whiteness. The male
and female unite in feeding the young, and they have rarely
more than two broods in the same season.

The flesh of this bird is considered much superior to that
of the wild pigeon; but its seeming confidence in man, the
tenderness of its notes, and the innocency attached to its
character, are with many its security and protection; with
others, however, the tenderness of its flesh, and the sport of
shooting, overcome all other considerations. About the com-
mencement of frost, they begin to move off to the south;
numbers, however, remain in Pennsylvania during the whole
winter.

The turtle dove is twelve inches long, and seventeen inches
in extent; bill, black; eye, of a glossy blackness, surrounded
with a pale greenish blue skin ; crown, upper part of the neck
and wings, a fine silky slate blue; back, scapulars, and lesser
wing-coverts, ashy brown; tertials spotted with black ;
primaries, edged and tipt with white; forehead, sides of the
neck, and breast, a pale brown vinous orange ; under the ear-
feathers, a spot or drop of deep black, immediately below
which the plumage reflects the most vivid tints of green,
gold, and crimson ; chin, pale yellow ochre; belly and vent,
whitish ; legs and feet, coral red, seamed with white; the
tail is long and cuneiform, consisting of fourteen feathers ; the
four exterior ones, on each side, are marked with black, about
an inch from the tips, and white thence to the extremity ;
the next has less of the white at the tip; these gradually
lengthen to the four middle ones, which are wholly dark slate ;
all of them taper towards the points, the two middle ones
most so.

The female is an inch shorter, and is otherwise only dis-
tinguished by the less brilliancy of her colour; she also wants

ICO HERMIT THRUSH.

the rich silky blue on the crown, and much of the splendour
of the neck; the tail is also somewhat shorter, and the white
with which it is marked less pure.*

HERMIT THRUSH. (Turdus solitarius.)
PLATE XLIII.—Fic. 2.

Little Thrush, Catesby, i. 31.—Hdwards, 296.—Brown Thrush. Arct. Zovl. 337,
No. 199.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3542.

TURDUS SOLITARIUS.—WItson. t

Turdus minor, Bonap. Synop. p. 75.—The Hermit Thrush, Aud. Orn. Biog.
i. p. 303, pl. 58, male and female.

Tne dark solitary cane and myrtle swamps of the southern
States are the favourite native haunts of this silent and recluse
species ; and the more deep and gloomy these are, the more
certain we are to meet with this bird flitting among them.
This is the species mentioned in the first volume of this work,
while treating of the wood thrush, as having been figured and
described, more than fifty years ago, by Edwards, from a
dried specimen sent him by my friend Mr William Bartram,
under the supposition that it was the wood thrush (Turdus

* In addition to their history by Wilson, Audubon mentions, that
though regularly migrating in numbers, they are never in such vast
extent as the passenger pigeon, from two hundred and fifty to three
hundred being considered a large flock. He also mentions them differ-
ing in another more important particular—the manner of roosting.
They prefer sitting among the long grass of abandoned fields, at the
foot of the dry stalks of maize, and only occasionally resort to the dead
foliage of trees, or the different species of evergreens. They do not sit
near each other, but are dispersed over the field, whereas the passenger
pigeon roosts in compact masses on limbs of trees, In every respect
they run more into the ground doves, or bronze-winged pigeons, which
similarity some parts of the plumage will strengthen.—Ep,

+ Bonaparte has wished to restore Gmelin’s old name of minor to this
bird, which Wilson had thought in some manner erroneous, on account
of solitarius being preoccupied by another species. That, however,
will rank in the genus Petrocincla; and Mr Swainson has since de-
scribed a small species under the name of minor.—Eb.

HERMIT THRUSH. IOI

melodus). It is, however, considerably less, very differently
marked, and altogether destitute of the clear voice and musical
powers of that charming minstrel. It also differs in remaining
in the southern States during the whole year ; whereas the wood
thrush does not winter even in Georgia, nor arrive within
the southern boundary of that State until some time in April.

The hermit thrush is rarely seen in Pennsylvania, unless
for a few weeks in spring, and late in the fall, long after the
wood thrush has left us, and when scarcely a summer bird
remains in the woods. In both seasons it is mute, having
only in spring an occasional squeak, like that of a young stray
chicken. Along the Atlantic coast, in New Jersey, they
remain longer and later, as I have observed them there late
in November. In the cane swamps of the Choctaw nation,
they were frequent in the month of May, on the 12th of which
J examined one of their nests on a horizontal branch, imme-
diately over the path. The female was sitting, and left it
with great reluctance, so that I had nearly laid my hand on
her before she flew. The nest was fixed on the upper part
of the body of the branch, and constructed with great neat-
ness, but without mud or plaster, contrary to the custom of
the wood thrush. The outside was composed of a consider-
able quantity of coarse rooty grass, intermixed with horse
hair, and lined with a fine, green-coloured, thread-like grass,
perfectly dry, laid circularly, with particular neatness. The
eggs were four, of a pale greenish blue, marked with specks
and blotches of olive, particularly at the great end. I also
observed this bird on the banks of the Cumberland river in
April. Its food consists chiefly of berries, of which these low
swamps furnish a perpetual abundance, such as those of the
holly, myrtle, gall bush (a species of vaccinium), yapon shrub,
and many others.

A superficial observer would instantly pronounce this to
be only a variety of the wood thrush ; but taking into consi-
deration its difference of size, colour, manners, want of song,
secluded habits, differently formed nest, and spotted eggs, all

192 TAWNY THRUSH.

unlike those of the former, with which it never associates, it
is impossible not to conclude it to be a distinct and separate
species, however near it may approach to that of the former.
Its food, and the country it inhabits for half the year, being
the same, neither could have produced those differences ; and
we must believe it to be now, what it ever has been, and ever
will be, a distinct connecting link in the great chain of this
part of animated nature ; all the sublime reasoning of certain
theoretical closet philosophers to the contrary notwithstanding.

Length of the hermit thrush, seven inches; extent, ten
inches and a half; upper parts, plain deep olive brown ;
lower, dull white; upper part of the breast and throat, dull
cream colour, deepest where the plumage falls over the
shoulders of the wing, and marked with large dark brown
pointed spots ; ear-feathers, and line over the eye, cream, the
former mottled with olive; edges of the wings, lighter ; tips,
dusky ; tail-coverts and tail, inclining to a reddish fox colour.
In the wood thrush, these parts incline to greenish olive.
Tail, slightly forked ; legs, dusky; bill, black above and at
the tip, whitish below ; iris, black and very full; chin, whitish.

The female differs very little—chiefly in being generally
darker in the tints, and having the spots on the breast larger
and more dusky.

TAWNY THRUSH. (Yurdus mustelinus.)
PLATE XLUI.—Fie. 3.

Peale’s Museum, No. 5570.

TURDUS WILSONII.—BonAPARTE.*
Turdus Wilsonii, Bonap. Synop. p. 76.—Merula Wilsonii, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 183.

THis species makes its appearance in Pennsylvania from the
south regularly about the beginning of May, stays with us a
* The wood thrush of Vol. I., the hermit thrush, and our present

species, have so much similarity to each other, that they have been con-
fused together, and their synonyms often misquoted by different authors.

TAWNY THRUSH. 193

week or two, and passes on to the north and to the high
mountainous districts to breed. It has no song, but a sharp
chuck. About the 20th of May I.met with numbers of them
in the Great Pine Swamp, near Pocano; and on the 25th of
September in the same year, I shot several of them in the
neighbourhood of Mr Bartram’s place. I have examined
many of these birds in spring, and also on their return in fall,
and found very little difference among them between the
male and female. In some specimens the wing-coverts were
brownish yellow; these appeared to be young birds. I have
no doubt but they breed in the northern high districts of the
United States; but I have not yet been able to discover their
nests.

The tawny thrush is ten inches long, and twelve inches in
extent; the whole upper parts are a uniform tawny brown ;
the lower parts, white; sides of the breast and under the
wings, slightly tinged with ash; chin, white; throat, and
upper parts of the breast, cream coloured, and marked with
pointed spots of brown; lores, pale ash or bluish white ;
cheeks, dusky brown ; tail, nearly even at the end, the shafts
of all, as well as those of the wing-quills, continued a little
beyond their webs ; bill, black above and at the point, below

From these circumstances, the name of mustelinus, given by Wilson
to this species, is incorrect ; and Bonaparte has deservedly dedicated it
to its first describer, aname which ought now to be used in our systems.
Another bird has been also lost sight of in the alliance which exists
among those, and which will now rank as an addition to the northern
fauna, the Turdus parvus of Edwards, and confounded by Bonaparte
with the 7’ solitaria. From the observations of Dr Richardson and Mr
Swainson, in the second volume of the “ Northern Zoology,” there can
be little doubt of its being distinct from any of the others just men-
tioned, and will be distinguished by the more rufous tinge of the upper
parts. It was met by the Overland Expedition on the banks of the
Saskatchewan, where it is migratory in summer, and appears as nearly
allied to the others in its habits as it is in its external appearance. It
spreads, no doubt, over the other parts of North America, getting more
abundant, perhaps, towards the south, Mr Swainson has received it
from Georgia, and remarks that the rufous tinge of the plumage is much
clearer and more intense in the southern specimens,—Ep.
VOL. II. N

194 PINE-SWAMP WARBLER.

at the base, flesh coloured ; corners of the mouth, yellow ;
eye, large and dark, surrounded with a white ring ; legs, long,
slender, and pale brown.

Though I have given this bird the same name that Mr
Pennant has applied to one of our thrushes, it must not be
considered as the same; the bird which he has denominated
the tawny thrush being evidently, from its size, markings,
&c., the wood thrush, already described.

No description of the bird here figured has, to my know-
ledge, appeared in any former publication.

PINE-SWAMP WARBLER. (Sylvia pusilla.)
PLATE XLIII.—Fie. 4.

VIREO SPHAGNOSA.—JARDINE.*
Sylvia sphagnosa, Bonap. Synop. p. 85.

Tis little bird is for the first time figured or described. Its
favourite haunts are in the deepest and gloomiest pine and
hemlock swamps of our mountainous regions, where every
tree, trunk, and fallen log is covered with a luxuriant coat of
moss, that even mantles over the surface of the ground, and
prevents the sportsman from avoiding a thousand holes, springs,
and swamps, into which he is incessantly plunged. Of the
nest of this bird J am unable to speak. I found it associated
with the Blackburnian warbler, the golden-crested wren, ruby-
crowned wren, yellow rump, and others of that description, in
such places as I have described, about the middle of May. It
seemed as active in flycatching as in searching for other insects,
darting uimbly about among the branches, and flirting its

* This species seems evidently a Vireo. Bonaparte thus observes, in
his “ Nomenclature,” and we have used his name :—“ A new species, called
by a preoccupied name, but altered in the index to that of leucoptera,
which is used for one of Vieillot’s species, and was, therefore, changed to
that of palustris by Stephens ; but as this also is preoccupied, I propose
for it the name of S. sphagnosa.”— Ep.

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PASSENGER PIGEON. 195

wings ; but I could not perceive that it had either note or
song. I shot three, one male and two females. I have no
doubt that they breed in those solitary swamps, as well as
many other of their associates.

The pine-swamp warbler is four inches and a quarter long
and seven inches and a quarter in extent; bill, black, not
notched, but furnished with bristles; upper parts, a deep
green olive, with slight bluish reflections, particularly on the
edges of the tail and on the head; wings, dusky, but so
broadly edged with olive green as to appear wholly of that
tint ; immediately below the primary coverts, there is a single
triangular spot of yellowish white; no other part of the wings
is white ; the three exterior tail-feathers with a spot of white
on their inner vanes; the tail is slightly forked; from the
nostrils over the eye extends a fine line of white, and the
lower eyelid is touched with the same tint; lores, blackish ;
sides of the neck and auriculars, green olive; whole lower
parts, pale yellow ochre, with a tinge of greenish ; duskiest
on the throat; legs, long, and flesh coloured.

The plumage of the female differs in nothing from that of
the male.

PASSENGER PIGEON. (Columba migratoria.)

PLATE XLIV.—Fie. 1.

Catesby, i. 23.— Linn. Syst. 285.—Turton, 479.—Arct. Zool. p. 322, No. 187.—
Briss. i. 100.—Buff. ii. 527.—Peale’s Museum, No. 5084.

ECTOPISTES MIGRATORIA.—SWAINSON.*

Ectopistes, Swain. N. Groups, Zool. Journ. No. xi. p. 362.—Columba migratoria,
Bonap. Synop. p. 120.—The Passenger Pigeon, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 319,
male and female.—Columba (Ectopistes) migratoria, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 363,

Tus remarkable bird merits a distinguished place in the

annals of our feathered tribes,——a claim to which I shall

endeavour to do justice; and though it would be impossible,
* Tn all the large natural groups which have already come under our

notice, we have seen a great variation of form, though the essential
parts of it were always beautifully kept up. In the present immense

196 PASSENGER PIGEON.

in the bounds allotted to this account, to relate all I have seen
and heard of this species, yet no circumstance shall be omitted
with which I am acquainted (however extraordinary some of
these may appear) that may tend to illustrate its history.

family, Mr Swainson has characterised the passenger pigeons under the
name of Ectopistes, at once distinguished by their graceful and lengthened
make, and well represented by the common Columba migratoria and the
Carolina pigeon of our author. The nicer distinctions will be found in
the slender bill, and the relative proportions of the feet and wings. As
far as our knowledge extends, the group is confined to both the continents
of America. A single individual of this species was shot, while perched
on a wall, in the neighbourhood of a pigeon-house at Westhall, in the
parish of Monymail, Fifeshire, in December 1825. It came into the
possession of Dr Fleming of Flisk, who has recorded its occurrence in his
“British Zoology.” He remarks that the feathers were quite fresh and
entire, like a wild bird ; but we can only rank it as a very rare straggler.

Mr Audubon mentions having brought over 350 of these birds, when
he last visited this country, and distributed them among different
country gentlemen. Lord Stanley received fifty of them, which he
intended to turn out in his park, in the neighbourhood of Liverpool.

We have the following additional account from Audubon of their
flights, roosting, and destruction, in everything corroborating the history
of Wilson, but too interesting to pass by :—

“Their great power of flight enables them to survey and pass over
an astonishing extent of country in a very short time. Thus pigeons
have been killed in the neighbourhood of New York, with their crops
full of rice, which they must have collected in the fields of Georgia and
Carolina, these districts being the nearest in which they could possibly
have procured a supply of food. As their power of digestion is so great
that they will decompose food entirely in twelve hours, they must, in
this case, have travelled between three and four hundred miles in six
hours, which shows their speed to be, at an average, about one mile in
a minute. A velocity such as this would enable one of these birds,
were it so inclined, to visit the European continent in less than three days.

“Tn the autumn of 1813, I left my house at Henderson, on the banks
of the Ohio, on my way to Louisville. In passing over the Barrens, a
few miles beyond Hardensburg, I observed the pigeons flying from
north-east to south-west, in greater numbers than I thought I had ever
seen them before. I travelled on, and still met more, the farther I
proceeded. The air was literally filled with pigeons. The light of the
noonday was obscured as by an eclipse. The dung fell in spots not
unlike melting flakes of snow; and the continued buzz of wings had a
tendency to lull my senses to repose.

PASSENGER PIGEON. 197

The wild pigeon of the United States inhabits a wide and
extensive region of North America, on this side of the great
Stony Mountains, beyond which, to the westward, I have not

“ Before sunset I reached Louisville, distant from Hardensburg
fifty-five miles. The pigeons were still passing in undiminished num-
bers, and continued to do so for three days in succession. The people
were allinarms. The banks of the Ohio were crowded with men and
boys, incessantly shooting at the pilgrims, which there flew lower
as they passed the river. Multitudes were thus destroyed. For a
week or more, the population fed on no other flesh than that of
pigeons. The atmosphere, during this time, was strongly impregnated
with the peculiar odour which emanates from the species.” In estimat-
ing the number of these mighty flocks, and the food consumed by them
daily he adds—“ Let us take a column of one mile in breadth, which
is far below the average size, and suppose it passing over us at the rate
of one mile per minute. This will give us a parallelogram of 180
miles by 1, covering 180 square miles ; and allowing two pigeons to
the square yard, we have one billion one hundred and fifteen millions
one hundred and thirty-six thousand pigeons in one flock: and as
every pigeon consumes fully half a pint per day, the quantity required
to feed such a flock, must be eight millions seven hundred and twelve
thousand bushels per day.”

The accounts of their roosting places are as remarkable :—

‘Let us now, kind reader, inspect their place of nightly rendezvous :
—It was, as is always the case, in a portion of the forest where the trees
were of great magnitude, and where there was little underwood, I
rode through it upwards of forty miles, and, crossing it at different
parts, found its average breadth to be rather more than three miles.
Few pigeons were to be seen before sunset; but a great number of
persons, with horses and waggons, guns and ammunition, had already
established encampments on the borders, Two farmers from the
vicinity of Russelsville, distant more than a hundred miles, had driven
upwards of three hundred hogs, to be fattened on the pigeons which
were to be slaughtered. Here and there, the people employed in
plucking and salting what had already been procured were seen sit-
ting in the midst of large piles of these birds. The dung lay several
inches deep, covering the whole extent of the roosting place like a bed
of snow. Many trees, two feet in diameter, I observed, were broken off
at no great distance from the ground ; and the branches of many of the
largest and tallest had given way, as if the forest had been swept by a
tornado, Everything proved to me that the number of birds resorting
to this part of the forest must be immense beyond conception. As the
period of their arrival approached, their foes anxiously prepared ‘to

198 PASSENGER PIGEON.

heard of their being seen. According to Mr Hutchins, they
abound in the country round Hudson’s Bay, where they

seize them. Some were furnished with iron pots, containing sulphur,
others with torches of pine-knots, many with poles, and the rest with
guns. The sun was lost to our view; yet not a pigeon had arrived.
Everything was ready, and all eyes were gazing on the clear sky,
which appeared in glimpses amidst the tall trees. Suddenly, there
burst forth a general cry of, ‘ Here they come!’ The noise which they
made, though yet distant, reminded me of a hard gale at sea passing
through the rigging of a close-reefed vessel. As the birds arrived, and
passed over me, I felt a current of air that surprised me. Thousands
were soon knocked down by polemen. The current of birds, how-
ever, still kept increasing. The fires were lighted, and a most magni-
ficent, as well as a wonderful and terrifying sight, presented itself.
The pigeons, coming in by thousands, alighted everywhere, one above
another, until solid masses, as large as hogsheads, were formed on every
tree, in all directions. Here and there the perches gave way under the
weight with a crash, and, falling to the ground, destroyed hundreds of
the birds beneath, forcing down the dense groups with which every
stick was loaded. It was a scene of uproar and confusion. I found it
quite useless to speak, or even to shout, to those persons who were
nearest me. The reports, even, of the nearest guns, were seldom heard ;
and I knew of the firing only by seeing the shooters reloading. Noone
dared venture within the line of devastation ; the hogs had been penned
up in due time, the picking up of the dead and wounded being left for
the next morning’s employment. The pigeons were constantly coming ;
and it was past midnight before I perceived a decrease in the number of
those that arrived. The uproar continued, however, the whole night ;
and, as I was anxious to know to what distance the sound reached, I
sent off a man, accustomed to perambulate the forest, who, returning two
hours afterwards, informed me that he had heard it distinctly when three
miles from the spot. Towards the approach of day, the noise rather
subsided ; but, long ere objects were at all distinguishable, the pigeons
began to move off in a direction quite different from that in which they
had arrived the evening before ; and at sunrise, all that were able to fly
had disappeared. The howlings of the wolves now reached our ears;
and the foxes, lynxes, cougars, bears, racoons, opossums, and pole-cats,
were seen sneaking off from the spot, whilst eagles and hawks, of differ-

ent species, accompanied by a crowd of vultures, came to supplant

them, and enjoy their share of the spoil. It was then that the authors
of all this devastation began their entry amongst the dead, the dying,
and the mangled. The pigeons were picked up, and piled in heaps,
until each had as many as he could possibly dispose of, when the hogs
were let loose to feed on the remainder.”—Eb.

PASSENGER PIGEON. 199

usually remain as late as December, feeding, when the ground
is covered with snow, on the buds of juniper. They spread
over the whole of Canada; were seen by Captain Lewis and
his parity near the Great Falls of the Missouri, upwards
of 2500 miles from its mouth, reckoning the meanderings
of the river; were also met with in the interior of Louisiana
by Colonel Pike; and extend their range as far south as the
Gulf of Mexico; occasionally visiting or breeding in almost
every quarter of the United States.

But the most remarkable characteristic of these birds is
their associating together, both in their migrations, and also
during the period of incubation, in such prodigious numbers
as almost to surpass belief, and which has no parallel among
any other of the feathered tribes on the face of the earth
with which naturalists are acquainted,

These migrations appear to be undertaken rather in quest
of food, than merely to avoid the cold of the climate, since
we find them lingering in the northern regions, around
Hudson’s Bay, so late as December ; and since their appear-
ance is so casual and irregular, sometimes not visiting certain
districts for several years in any considerable numbers, while
at other times they are innumerable. I have witnessed these
migrations in the Gennesee country, often in Pennsylvania,
and also in various parts of Virginia, with amazement; but
all that I had then seen of them were mere straggling parties
when compared with the congregated millions which I have
since beheld in our western forests, in the States of Ohio,
Kentucky, and the Indiana territory. These fertile and ex-
tensive regions abound with the nutritious beech-nut, which
constitutes the chief food of the wild pigeon. In seasons
when these nuts are abundant, corresponding multitudes of
pigeons may be confidently expected. It sometimes happens
that, having consumed the whole produce of the beech trees
in an extensive district, they discover another, at the distance
perhaps of sixty or eighty miles, to which they regularly
repair every morning, and return as regularly in the course of

200 PASSENGER PIGEON.

the day, or in the evening, to their place of general rendez-
vous, or, as it is usually called, the roosting place. These
roosting places are always in the woods, and sometimes occupy
a large extent of forest. When they have frequented one of
these places for some time, the appearance it exhibits is sur-
prising. The ground is covered to the depth of several inches
with their dung; all the tender grass and underwood de-
stroyed ; the surface strewed with large limbs of trees, broken
down by the weight of the birds clustering one above another ;
and the trees themselves, for thousands of acres, killed as
completely as if girdled with an axe. The marks of this
desolation remain for many years on the spot ; and numerous
places could be pointed out where, for several years after,
scarcely a single vegetable made its appearance.

When these roosts are first discovered, the inhabitants, from
considerable distances, visit them in the night, with guns,
clubs, long poles, pots of sulphur, and various other engines
of destruction. In a few hours, they fill many sacks, and
load their horses with them. By the Indians, a pigeon roost
or breeding place is considered an important source of
national profit and dependence for that season, and all their
active ingenuity is exercised on the occasion. The breeding
place differs from the former in its greater extent. In the
western countries above mentioned, these are generally in
beech woods, and often extend, in nearly a straight line,
across the country for a great way. Not far from Shelbyville,
in the State of Kentucky, about five years ago, there was one
of these breeding places, which stretched through the woods
in nearly a north and south direction ; was several miles in
breadth, and was said to be upwards of forty miles in extent!
In this tract, almost every tree was furnished with nests,
wherever the branches could accommodate them. The pigeons
made their first appearance there about the 10th of April, and
left it altogether, with their young, before the 25th of May.

As soon as the young were fully grown, and before they
left the nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants, from all

PASSENGER PIGEON. 201

parts of the adjacent country, came with wageons, axes,
beds, cooking utensils, many of them accompanied by the
greater part of their families, and encamped for several days
at this immense nursery. Several of them informed me that
the noise in the woods was so great as to terrify their horses,
and that it was difficult for one person to hear another speak
without bawling in his ear. The ground was strewed with
broken limbs of trees, eggs, and young squab pigeons, which
had been precipitated from above, and on which herds of
hogs were fattening. Hawks, buzzards, and eagles were
sailing about in great numbers, and seizing the squabs from
their nests at pleasure; while, from twenty feet upwards to
the tops of the trees, the view through the woods presented a
perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering multitudes of
pigeons, their wings roaring like thunder, mingled with the
frequent crash of falling timber; for now the axe-men were
at. work, cutting down those trees that seemed to be most
crowded with nests, and contrived to fell them in such a
manner, that, in their descent, they might bring down several
others ; by which means the falling of one large tree some-
times produced two hundred squabs, little inferior in size to
the old ones, and almost one mass of fat. On some single
trees, upwards of one hundred nests were found, each con-
taining one young only ; a circumstance in the history of this
bird not generally known to naturalists. It was dangerous
to walk under these flying and fluttering millions from the
frequent fall of large branches, broken down by the weight
of the multitudes above, and which, in their descent, often
destroyed numbers of the birds themselves ; while the clothes
of those engaged in traversing the woods were completely
covered with the excrements of the pigeons.

These circumstances were related to me by many of the
most respectable part of the community in that quarter, and
were confirmed, in part, by what I myself witnessed. I
passed for several miles through this same breeding place,
where every tree was spotted with nests, the remains of those

202 PASSENGER PIGEON.

above described. In many instances, I counted upwards of
ninety nests on a single tree ; but the pigeons had abandoned
this place for another, sixty or eighty miles off towards
Green River, where they were said at that time to be equally
numerous. From the great numbers that were constantly
passing overhead to or from that quarter, I had no doubt
of the truth of this statement. The mast had been chiefly
consumed in Kentucky, and the pigeons, every morning, a
little before sunrise, set out for the Indiana territory, the
nearest part of which was about sixty miles distant. Many
of these returned before ten o'clock, and the great body
generally appeared on their return a little after noon.

T had left the public road to visit the remains of the breed-
ing place near Shelbyville, and was traversing the woods with
my gun, on my way to Frankfort, when, about one o’clock, the
pigeons, which I had observed flying the greater part of the
morning northerly, began to return, in such immense numbers
as I never before had witnessed. Coming to an opening, by
the side of a creek called the Benson, where I had a more
uninterrupted view, I was astonished at their appearance.
They were flying, with great steadiness and rapidity, at a
height beyond gunshot, in several strata deep, and so close
together, that, could shot have reached them, one discharge
could not have failed of bringing down several individuals.
From right to left, far as the eye could reach, the breadth of
this vast procession extended, seeming everywhere equally
crowded. Curious to determine how long this appearance
would continue, I took out my watch to note the time, and
sat down to observe them. It was then half-past one. I sat
for more than an hour, but instead of a diminution of this
prodigious procession, it seemed rather to increase both in
numbers and rapidity; and anxious to reach Frankfort
before night, I rose and went on. About four o'clock in
the afternoon I crossed the Kentucky River, at the town of
Frankfort, at which time the living torrent above my head
seemed as numerous and as extensive as ever. Long after

PASSENGER PIGEON. 203

this I observed them in large bodies, that continued to pass
for six or eight minutes, and these again were followed by
other detached bodies, all moving in the same south-east, direc-
tion, till after six in the evening. The great breadth of front
which this mighty multitude preserved would seem to intimate
a corresponding breadth of their breeding place, which, by
several gentlemen, who had lately passed through part of it,
was stated to me at several miles. It was said to be in Green
county, and that the young began to fly about the middle of
March. On the 17th of April, forty-nine miles beyond Dan-
ville, and not far from Green River, I crossed this same breed-
ing place, where the nests, for more than three miles, spotted
every tree: the leaves not being yet out, I had a fair prospect
of them, and was really astonished at their numbers. A few
bodies of pigeons lingered yet in different parts of the woods,
the roaring of whose wings was heard in various quarters
around me.

All accounts agree in stating that each nest contains only
one young squab. These are so extremely fat, that the Indians,
and many of the whites, are accustomed to melt down the fat
for domestic purposes as a substitute for butter and lard. At
the time they leave the nest, they are nearly as heavy as the
old ones, but become much leaner after they are turned out
to shift for themselves. |

It is universally asserted in the western countries, that the
pigeons, though they have only one young at a time, breed
thrice, and sometimes four times, in the same season: the
circumstances already mentioned render this highly probable.
It is also worthy of observation, that this takes place during
that period when acorns, beech nuts, &c., are scattered about
in the greatest abundance, and mellowed by the frost. But
they are not confined to these alone,—buckwheat, hempseed,
Indian-corn, hollyberries, hackberries, huckleberries, and many
others, furnish them with abundance at almost all seasons.
The acorns of the live oak are also eagerly sought after by
these birds, and rice has been frequently found in individuals

204 PASSENGER PIGEON.

killed many hundred miles to the northward of the nearest
rice plantation. The vast quantity of mast which these multi-
tudes consume is a serious loss to the bears, pigs, squirrels,
and other dependants on the fruits of the forest. I have taken
from the crop of a single wild pigeon a good handful of the
kernels of beech-nuts, intermixed with acorns and chestnuts.
T'o form a rough estimate of the daily consumption of one of
these immense flocks, let us first attempt to calculate the
numbers of that above mentioned, as seen in passing between
Frankfort and the Indiana territory. If we suppose this column
to have been one mile in breadth (and I believe it to have
been much more), and that it moved at the rate of one mile
in a minute, four hours, the time it continued passing, would
make its whole length two hundred and forty miles. Again,
supposing that each square yard of this moving body compre-
hended three pigeons, the square yards in the whole space,
multiplied by three, would give two thousand two hundred
and thirty millions, two hundred and seventy-two thousand
pigeons !—an almost inconceivable multitude, and yet probably
far below the actual amount. Computing each of these to
consume half a pint of mast daily, the whole quantity at this
rate would equal seventeen millions, four hundred and twenty-
four thousand bushels per day! Heaven has wisely and
eraciously given to these birds rapidity of flight and a dis-
position to range over vast uncultivated tracts of the earth,
otherwise they must have perished in the districts where they
resided, or devoured up the whole productions of agriculture,
as well as those of the forests.

A few observations on the mode of flight of these birds must
not be omitted. ‘The appearance of large detached bodies of
them in the air, and the various evolutions they display, are
strikingly picturesque and interesting. In descending the
Ohio by myself, in the month of February, I often rested on
my oars to contemplate their aerial manceuvres. A column,
eight or ten miles in length, would appear from Kentucky,
high in air, steering across to Indiana. The leaders of this

PASSENGER PIGEON. 205

great body would sometimes gradually vary their course, until
it formed a large bend, of more than a mile in diameter, those
behind tracing the exact route of their predecessors. This
would continue sometimes long after both extremities were
beyond the reach of sight; so that the whole, with its ¢littery
undulations, marked a space on the face of the heavens resem-
bling the windings of a vast and majestic river. When this
bend became very great, the birds, as if sensible of the
unnecessary circuitous course they were taking, suddenly
changed their direction, so that what was in column before
became an immense front, straightening all its indentures,
until if swept the heavens in one vast and infinitely extended
line. Other lesser bodies also united with each other as they
happened to approach, with such ease and elegance of evolu-
tion, forming new figures, and varying these as they united
or separated, that I never was tired of contemplating them.
Sometimes a hawk would make a sweep on a particular part
of the column, from a great height, when, almost as quick as
lightning, that part shot downwards out of the common track ;
but, soon rising again, continued advancing at the same height
as before. This reflection was continued by those behind, who,
on arriving at this point, dived down, almost perpendicularly,
to a great depth, and rising, followed the exact path of those
that went before. As these vast bodies passed over the river
near me, the surface of the water, which was before smooth
as glass, appeared marked with innumerable dimples, occasioned
by the dropping of their dung, resembling the commencement
of a shower of large drops of rain or hail.

Happening to go ashore one charming afternoon, to purchase
some milk at a house that stood near the river, and while
talking with the people within doors, I was suddenly struck
with astonishment at a loud rushing roar, succeeded by instant
darkness, which on the first moment I took for a tornado
about to overwhelm the house and everything around in
destruction. The people, observing my surprise, coolly said,
“Tt is only the pigeons;” and, on running out, I beheld a

206 PASSENGER PIGEON.

flock, thirty or forty yards in width, sweeping along, very low,
between the house and the mountain, or height, that formed
the second bank of the river. These continued passing for
more than a quarter of an hour, and at length varied their
bearing, so as to pass over the mountain, behind which they
disappeared before the rear came up.

In the Atlantic States, though they never appear in such
unparalleled multitudes, they are sometimes very numerous,
and great havoc is then made amongst them with the gun, the
clap-net, and various other implements of destruction. As
soon as it is ascertained in a town that the pigeons are flying
numerously in the neighbourhood, the gunners rise en masse ;
the clap-nets are spread out on suitable situations, commonly
on an open height in an old buckwheat field ; four or five live
pigeons, with their eyelids sewed up, are fastened on a
movable stick—a small hut of branches is fitted up for the
fowler, at the distance of forty or fifty yards—by the pulling
of a string, the stick on which the pigeons rest is alternately
elevated and depressed, which produces a fluttering of their
wings similar to that of birds just alighting ; this being per-
ceived by the passing flocks, they descend with great rapidity,
and finding corn, buckwheat, &c., strewed about, begin to
feed, and are instantly, by the pulling of a cord, covered by
the net. In this manner, ten, twenty, and even thirty dozen,
have been caught at one sweep. Meantime, the air is darkened
with large bodies of them, moving in various directions ; the
woods also swarm with them in search of acorns; and the
thundering of musketry is perpetual on all sides from morning
to night. Waggon loads of them are poured into market,
where they sell from fifty to twenty-five, and even twelve
cents, per dozen; and pigeons become the order of the day
at dinner, breakfast, and supper, until the very name becomes
sickening. When they have been kept alive, and fed for
some time on corn and buckwheat, their flesh acquires great
superiority ; but, in their common state, they are dry and
blackish,and far inferior to the full-grown young ones, or squabs.

PASSENGER PIGEON. 207

The nest of the wild pigeon is formed of a few dry slender
twigs, carelessly put together, and with so little concavity,
that the young one, when half grown, can easily be seen from
below. The eggs are pure white. Great numbers of hawks,
and sometimes the bald eagle himself, hover about those
breeding places, and seize the old or the young from the nest
amidst the rising multitudes, and with the most daring
effrontery. he young, when beginning to fly, confine them-
selves to the under part of the tall woods where there is no
brush, and where nuts and acorns are abundant, searching
among the leaves for mast, and appear like a prodigious torrent
rolling along through the woods, every one striving to be in
the front. Vast numbers of them are shot while in this
situation. A person told me that he once rode furiously into
one of these rolling multitudes, and picked up thirteen pigeons,
which had been trampled to death by his horse’s feet. Ina
few minutes they will beat the whole nuts from a tree with
their wings, while all is a scramble, both above and below,
for the same. They have the same cooing notes common to
domestic pigeons, but much less of their gesticulations. In
some flocks you will find nothing but young ones, which are
easily distinguishable by their motley dress. In others, they
will be mostly females; and again, great multitudes of males,
with few or no females. I cannot account for this in any other
way than that, during the time of incubation, the males are
exclusively engaged in procuring food, both for themselves
and their mates ; and the young, being unable yet to undertake
these extensive excursions, associate together accordingly.
But, even in winter, I know of several species of birds who
separate in this manner, particularly the red-winged starling,
among whom thousands of old males may be found with few
or no young or females along with them.

Stragelers from these immense armies settle in almost
every part of the country, particularly among the beech woods,
and in the pine and hemlock woods of the eastern and
northern parts of the continent. Mr Pennant informs us

208 PASSENGER PIGEON.

that they breed near Moose Fort at Hudson's Bay, in N. lat.
51°, and I myself have seen the remains of a large breeding
place as far south as the country of Choctaws, in lat. 32°. In
the former of these places they are said to remain until
December ; from which circumstance it is evident that they
are not regular in their migrations, like many other species,
but rove about, as scarcity of food urges them. Every
spring, however, as well as fall, more or less of them are
seen in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia; but it is only
once in several years that they appear in such formidable
bodies, and this commonly when the snows are heavy to the
north, the winter here more than usually mild, and acorns, &c.,
abundant.

The passenger pigeon is sixteen inches long, and twenty-
four inches in extent; bill, black ; nostril, covered by a high
rounding protuberance ; eye, brilliant fiery orange ; orbit, or
space surrounding it, purplish flesh-coloured skin ; head,
upper part of the neck, and chin, a fine slate blue, lightest
on the chin; throat, breast, and sides, as far as the thighs, a
reddish hazel ; lower part of the neck, and sides of the same,
resplendent changeable gold, green, and purplish crimson,
the latter most predominant; the ground colour, slate; the
plumage of this part is of a peculiar structure, ragged at the
ends ; belly and vent, white ; lower part of the breast, fading
into a pale vinaceous red; thighs, the same; legs and feet,
lake, seamed with white; back, rump, and tail-coverts, dark
slate, spotted on the shoulders with a few scattered marks of
black ; the scapulars, tinged with brown; greater coverts,
light slate ; primaries and secondaries, dull black, the former
tipt and edged with brownish white ; tail, long, and greatly
cuneiform, all the feathers tapering towards the point, the two
middle ones plain deep black, the other five, on each side,
hoary white, lightest near the tips, deepening into bluish near
the bases, where each is crossed on the inner vane with a
broad spot of black, and nearer the root with another of
ferruginous ; primaries, edged with white ; bastard wing, black.

BLUE MOUNTAIN WARBLER. 209

The female is about half an inch shorter, and an inch less
in extent ; breast, cinereous brown; upper part of the neck,
inclining to ash; the spot of changeable gold, green, and
carmine, much less, and not so brilliant; tail-coverts, brownish
slate ; naked orbits, slate coloured ; in all other respects like
the male in colour, but Jess vivid, and more tinged with
brown ; the eye not so brilliant an orange. In both, the tail
has only twelve feathers.

BLUE MOUNTAIN WARBLER. (Sylvia montana.)
PLATE XLIV.—Fic. 2.

SYLVICOLA MONTANA.—JARDINE.*
Sylvia tigrina, Bonap. Synop. p. 82.

THIS new species was first discovered near that celebrated
ridge or range of mountains with whose name I have
honoured it. Several of these solitary warblers remain yet
to be gleaned up from the airy heights of our alpine scenery,
as well as from the recesses of our swamps and morasses,
whither it is my design to pursue them by every opportunity.
Some of these, I believe, rarely or never visit the lower
cultivated parts of the country, but seem only at home
among the glooms and silence of those dreary solitudes. The
present species seems of that family or subdivision of the
warblers that approach the flycatcher, darting after flies
wherever they see them, and also searching with great
activity among the leaves. Its song was a feeble screep,
three or four times repeated.

This species is four inches and three-quarters in length ;
the upper parts, a rich yellow olive; front, cheeks, and chin,
yellow, also the sides of the neck; breast and belly, pale

* Bonaparte is inclined to think that this is the Sylvia tigrina of
Latham. He acknowledges, however, not having seen the bird, and, as
we have no means at present of deciding the question, have retained
Wilson’s name. Both this and the following will range in Sylvicola.—

Ep.
VOL. IT. O

210 HEMLOCK WARBLER.

yellow, streaked with black or dusky; vent, plain pale yellow;
wings, black; first and second row of coverts, broadly tipt
with pale yellowish white; tertials, the same ; the rest of the
quills edged with whitish ; tail, black, handsomely rounded,
edged with pale olive; the two exterior feathers on each side,
white on the inner vanes from the middle to the tips, and
edged on the outer side with white ; bill, dark brown ; legs
and feet, purple brown ; soles, yellow; eye, dark hazel.
This was a male. The female I have never seen.

HEMLOCK WARBLER. (Sylvia parus.)
PLATE XLIV.—Fic. 3.

SYLVICOLA PARUS.—JARDINE.
Sylvia parus, Bonap. Synop. p. 82.

Tuts is another nondescript, first met with in the Great Pine
Swamp, Pennsylvania. From observing it almost always
among the branches of the hemlock trees, I have designated
it by that appellation, the markings of its plumage not
affording me a peculiarity sufficient for a specific name. It
is a most lively and active little bird, climbing among the
twigs, and hanging like a titmouse on the branches, but
possessing all the external characters of the warblers. It has
a few low and very sweet notes, at which times it stops and
repeats them for a short time, then darts about as before. It
shoots after flies to a considerable distance; often begins
at the lower branches, and hunts with great regularity and
admirable dexterity upwards to the top, then flies off to the
next tree, at the lower branches of which it commences hunt-
ing upwards as before.

This species is five inches and a half long, and eight inches
in extent; bill, black above, pale below; upper parts of the
plumage, black, thinly streaked with yellow olive; head
above, yellow, dotted with black; line from the nostril over
the eye, sides of the neck, and whole breast, rich yellow; belly,

n om Nature by 4 Pilon Engraved by WE Lizars.

1. Shamp-shinnd Hawk, 2.Redstart. 4 Yellow-rump.

45.

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 215

paler, streaked with dusky ; round the breast, some small
streaks of blackish ; wing, black, the greater coverts and next
superior row, broadly tipt with white, forming two broad
bars across the wing; primaries edged with olive, tertials
with white; tail-coverts, black, tipt with olive ; tail, slightly
forked, black, and edged with olive; the three exterior
feathers altogether white on their inner vanes ; legs and feet,
dirty yellow ; eye, dark hazel; a few bristles at the mouth ;
bill, not notched.

This was a male. Of the female I can at present give no
account,

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. (falco velow.)
PLATE XLV.—Fic. 1.

ACCIPITER PENNSYLVANICUS.—SWAINSON.— YOUNG FEMALE.

Autour & bec sineuse, Z’emm. Pl. Col. 67.

Tats is a bold and daring species, hitherto unknown to natu-
ralists. The only hawk we have which approaches near it
in colour is the pigeon hawk, already figured in this work,
Plate XV.; but there are such striking differences in the
present, not only in colour, but in other respects, as to point
out decisively its claims to rank as a distinct species. Its long
and slender legs and toes—its red fiery eye, feathered to the
eyelids—its triangular grooved nostril, and length of tail,—
are all different from the pigeon hawk, whose legs are short,
its eyes dark hazel, surrounded with a broad bare yellow skin,
and its nostrils small and circular, centered with a slender
point that rises in it like the pistil of a flower. There is no
hawk mentioned by Mr Pennant, either as inhabiting Europe
or America, agreeing with this. I may, therefore, with con-
fidence, pronounce it a nondescript, and have chosen a very sin-
gular peculiarity which it possesses for its specific appellation.

This hawk was shot on the banks of the Schuylkill, near
Mr Bartram’s. Its singularity of flight surprised me long
before I succeeded in procuring it. It seemed to throw itself

22 SHARP-SHINNED HAWE.

from one quarter of the heavens to the other with prodigious

velocity, inclining to the earth, swept suddenly down into a
thicket, and instantly reappeared with a small bird in its
talons. This feat I saw it twice perform, so that it was not
merely an accidental manceuvre. The rapidity and seeming
violence of these zigzag excursions were really remarkable,
and appeared to me to be for the purpose of seizing his prey
by sudden surprise and main force of flight. I kept this hawk
alive for several days, and was hopeful I might be able to cure
him; but he died of his wound.

On the 15th of September, two young men whom I had
despatched on a shooting expedition met with this species on
one of the ranges of the Alleghany. It was driving around
in the same furious headlong manner, and had made a sweep
at a red squirrel, which eluded its grasp, and itself became the
victim. ‘These are the only individuals of this bird I have been
able to procure, and fortunately they were male and female.

The female of this species (represented in the plate) is
thirteen inches long, and twenty-five inches in extent; the
bill is black towards the point on both mandibles, but light
blue at its base ; cere, a fine pea green ; sides of the mouth,
the same; lores, pale whitish blue, beset with hairs; crown
and whole upper parts, very dark brown, every feather
narrowly skirted with a bright rust colour; over the eye a
stripe of yellowish white, streaked with deep brown; primaries,
spotted on their inner vanes with black; secondaries, crossed
on both vanes with three bars of dusky, below the coverts;
inner vanes of both primaries and secondaries, brownish white ;
all the scapulars marked with large round spots of white, not
seen unless the plumage be parted with the hand ; tail long,
nearly even, crossed with four bars of black and as many of
brown ash, and tipt with white; throat and whole lower parts,
pale yellowish white; the former marked with fine long

pointed spots of dark brown, the latter with large oblong spots:

of reddish brown ; femorals, thickly marked with spade-formed
spots on a pale rufous ground; legs, long, and feathered a little
below the knee, of a greenish yellow colour, most yellow at the

SHARE-SHINNED HAWK. 213

joints ; edges of the inside of the shins, below the knee, pro-
jecting like the edge of a knife, hard and sharp, as if in-
tended to enable the bird to hold its prey with more security
between them ; eye, brilliant yellow, sunk below a projecting
cartilage. |

The male was nearly two inches shorter ; the upper parts,
dark brown; the feathers skirted with pale reddish, the front
streaked with the same; cere, greenish yellow; lores, bluish ;
bill, black, as in the female; streak over the eye, lighter than
in the former; chin, white; breast the same, streaked
with brown; bars on the tail, rather narrower, but in tint
and number the same; belly and vent, white; feet and shins,
exactly as in the female; the toes have the same pendulous
lobes which mark those of the female, and of which the
representation in the plate will give a correct idea; the wings
barred with black, very noticeable on the lower side.

Since writing the above, I have shot another specimen of
this hawk, corresponding in almost every particular with the
male last mentioned, and which, on dissection, also proves
to be a male. This last had within the grasp of its sharp
talons a small lizard, just killed, on which he was about to
feed. How he contrived to get possession of it appeared to
me matter of surprise, as lightuing itself seems scarcely more
fleet than this little reptile. So rapid are its motions, that,
in passing from one place to another, it vanishes, and actually
eludes the eye in running a distance of twelve or fifteen feet.
It is frequently seen on fences that are covered with grey
moss and lichen, which in colour tt very much resembles ; it
seeks shelter in hollow trees, and also in the ground about
their decayed roots. ‘They are most numerous in hilly parts
of the country, particularly on the declivities of the Blue
Mountain, among the crevices of rocks and stones. When
they are disposed to run, it is almost impossible to shoot them,
as they disappear at the first touch of the trigger. For the
satisfaction of the curious, I have introduced a full-sized figure
of this lizard, which is known in many parts of the country
by the name of the Swift.

214 REDSTART.

REDSTART. (Muscicapa ruticilla.)
PLATE XLV.—Fic. 2.

Edw. 257.—Yellow Tail, Arct. Zool. ii. p. 466, No. 301.
SETOPHAGA RUTICILLA.—SWAInson.

By recurring to Vol. I. Plate VI. fig. 6, the male of this
species may be seen in his perfect dress. ‘The present figure
represents the young bird as he appears for the first two
seasons ; the female differs very little from this, chiefly in the
green olive being more inclined to ash.

This is one of our summer birds, and, from the circumstance
of being found off Hispaniola in November, is supposed to
winter in the islands. ‘They leave Pennsylvania about the
20th of September ; are dexterous flycatchers, though ranked
by European naturalists among the warblers, having the bill
notched and beset with long bristles.

In its present dress the redstart makes its appearance in
Pennsylvania about the middle or 20th of April; and, from
being heard chanting its few sprightly notes, has been sup-
posed by some of our own naturalists to be a different species.
I have, however, found both parents of the same nest in the
same dress nearly ; the female, eggs, and nest, as well as the
notes of the male, agreeing exactly with those of the redstart—
evidence sufficiently satisfactory to me.

Head above, dull slate; throat, pale buff; sides of the
breast and four exterior tail-feathers, fine yellow, tipt with
dark brown; wings and back, greenish olive ; tail-coverts,
blackish, tipt with ash ; belly, dull white ; no white or yellow
on the wings ; legs, dirty purplish brown ; bill, black.

The redstart extends very generally over the United States,
having myself seen it on the borders of Canada, and also on
the Mississippi territory.

This species has the constant habit of flirting its expanded
tail from side to side, as it runs along the branches, with its
head levelled almost in a line with its body, occasionaily

VELLOW-RUMP WARBLER. 215

shooting off after winged insects in a downward zigzag
direction, and, with admirable dexterity, snapping its bill as
it descends. Its notes are few and feeble, repeated at short
intervals, as it darts among the foliage ; having at some times
a resemblance to the sounds, sic ste sdic ; at others, weesy
weesy weesy ; which last seems to be its call for the female,
while the former appears to be its most common note.

YELLOW-RUMP WARBLER. (Sylvia coronata.)

PLATE XLV.—Fic. 3.

Edw. 255.—Arct. Zool. ii. p. 400, No. 288.
SYLVICOLA CORONATA.—SWAINSON.— WINTER PLUMAGE.
Sylvia coronata, Bonap. Synop. p. 78.—Sylvicola coronata, Worth. Zool. ii.
p. 210.

I must again refer the reader to the first volume, Plate
XVII. fig. 4, for this bird in his perfect colours; the present
figure exhibits him in his winter dress, as he arrives to us
from the north early in September; the former shows him in
his spring and summer dress, as he visits us from the south
about the 20th of March. These birds remain with us in
Pennsylvania from September until the season becomes
severely cold, feeding on the berries of the red cedar ; and,
as December’s snows come on, they retreat to the lower
countries of the southern States, where, in February, I found
them in great numbers among the myrtles, feeding on the
berries of that shrub; from which circumstance they are
usually called, in that quarter, myrtle birds. Their breeding
place I suspect to be in our northern districts, among the
swamps and evergreens so abundant there, having myself shot
them in the Great Pine Swamp about the middle of May.

They range along our whole Atlantic coast in winter,
seeming particularly fond of the red cedar and the myrtle ;
and I have found them numerous in October, on the low
islands along the coast of New Jersey, in the same pursuit.
They also dart after flies, wherever they can see them, gene-
rally skipping about with the wings loose.

216 SLATE-COLOURED HAWK.

Length, five inches and a quarter; extent, eight inches ;
upper parts and sides of the neck, a dark mouse brown,
obscurely streaked on the back with dusky black; lower
parts, pale dull yellowish white ; breast, marked with faint
streaks of brown; chin and vent, white; rump, vivid yellow ;
at each side of the breast, and also on the crown, a spot of
fainter yellow; this last not observable without separating
the plumage ; bill, legs, and wings, black ; lesser coverts, tipt
with brownish white ; tail-coverts, slate; the three exterior
tail-feathers marked on their inner vanes with white ; a touch
of the same on the upper and lower eyelid. Male and female
at this season nearly alike. They begin to change about the
middle of February, and in four or five weeks are in their
slate-coloured dress, as represented in the figure referred to.

SLATE-COLOURED HAWK. (falco Pennsylvanicus.)
PLATE XLVI.—Fic. 1.

ACCIPITER PENNSYLVANICUS.—Swatnson.*

Falco velox, Bonap. Synop. p. 29.—Autour a bec sineuse, Temm. Pl. Col. 67
(young).—Accipiter Pennsylvanicus, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 44.

Tus elegant and spirited little hawk is a native of Penn-
sylvania, and of the Altantic States generally, and is now for
the first time introduced to the notice of the public. It
frequents the more settled parts of the country, chiefly in
winter ; is at all times a scarce species; flies wide, very

* It is now satisfactorily ascertained that this and the Falco velox of
the last plate are the same species, the Jatter representing the plumage
of the young female. The changes and differences are the same with
those of the common European sparrow hawk, Acczpiter nisus.

This bird most probably extends to the intertropical parts of South
America. Its occurrence far to the northward is not so common. It
was not met with by Dr Richardson, and the authority of its existence
in the Fur Countries rests on a specimen in the Hudson’s Bay Company
museum, killed at Moose Factory. It very nearly resembles two small
species from Mexico, the A, fringilloides of Mr Vigors, and one newly
characterised by Mr Swainson as A. Mexicanus.—Ep.

Dron tiem Watureby dWilson.

L. Slate Colonred Hawk. 2. Greund Dove. 5 female.

4G.

SLATE-COLOURED HAWK. 217

irregular and swiftly ; preys on lizards, mice, and small birds,
and is an active and daring little hunter. It is drawn of full
size, from a very beautiful specimen shot in the neighbour-
hood of Philadelphia. The bird within his grasp is the
Tanagra rubra, or black-winged red bird, in its green or
first year’s dress. In the spring of the succeeding year the
green and yellow plumage of this bird becomes of a most |
splendid scarlet, and the wings and tail deepen into a glossy
black. For a particular account of this tanager, see Vol. I.
p. 192, of the present work.

The great difficulty of accurately discriminating between
different species of the hawk tribe, on account of the various
appearances they assume at different periods of their long
lives, at first excited a suspicion that this might be one of
those with which I was already acquainted, in a different
dress, namely, the sharp-shinned hawk just described; for
such are the changes of colour to which many individuals of
this genus are subject, that unless the naturalist has recourse
to those parts that are subject to little or no alteration in the
full-grown bird, viz., the particular conformation of the legs,
nostril, tail, and the relative length of the latter to that of the
wings, also the peculiar character of the countenance, he will
frequently be deceived. By comparing these, the same species
may often be detected under a very different garb. Were all
these changes accurately known, there is no doubt but the
number of species of this tribe at present enumerated would
be greatly diminished, the same bird having been described
by certain writers three, four, and even five different times,
as so many distinct species. ‘Testing, however, the present
hawk by the rules above mentioned, I have no hesitation in
considering it as a species different from any hitherto described,
and I have classed it accordingly.

The slate-coloured hawk is eleven inches long, and twenty-
one inches in extent; bill, blue black; cere and sides of the
mouth, dull green ; eyelid, yellow ; eye, deep sunk under the
projecting eyebrow, and of a fiery orange colour ; upper parts

218 GROUND DOVE.

of a fine slate; primaries, brown black, and, as well as the
secondaries, barred with dusky ; scapulars, spotted with white
and brown, which is not seen unless the plumage be separated
by the hand ; all the feathers above are shafted with black ;
tail, very slightly forked, of an ash colour, faintly tinged with
brown, crossed with four broad bands of black, and tipt with
white ; tail, three inches longer than the wings; over the eye
extends a streak of dull white ; chin, white, mixed with fine
black hairs; breast and belly beautifully variegated with
ferruginous and transverse spots of white; femorals, the
same; vent, pure white; legs, long, very slender, and of
a rich orange yellow; claws, black, large, and remarkably
sharp ; lining of the wing, thickly marked with heart-shaped
spots of black. This bird, on dissection, was found to be
a male. In the month of February, I shot another indivi-
dual of this species, near Hampton, in Virginia, which agreed
almost exactly with the present.

GROUND DOVE. (Columba passerina.)
PLATE XLVI.—Fic. 2, MALE; Fic. 3, Femane.

Linn. Syst. 285.—Sloan. Jam. ii. 305.—Le Cocotzin, Fernandez, 24.—Buff. ii.
599, Pl. enl. 243.—Turt. Syst. 478.—Columba minuta, Ibid. p. 479.—Arct.
Zool. p. 328, No. 191.—Catesb. i. 26.—La Petite Tourterelle d’Amerique,
Briss. i. 113, pl. 9, fig. 1.

CH #MEPELIA PASSERINA.—SWAtnson.
Chemepelia, Swain. NV. Groups, Zool. Journ. No. XI. p. 361.—Columba passerina
(sub-genus Goura), Bonap. Synop. p. 120.

Tuis is one of the least of the pigeon tribe, whose timid and
innocent appearance forms a very striking contrast to the
ferocity of the bird-killer of the same plate. Such as they are
in nature, such I have endeavoured faithfully to represent
them. I have been the more particular with this minute
species, as no correct figure of it exists in any former work
with which I am acquainted.

The ground dove is a native of North and South Carolina,

GROUND DOVE. 219

Georgia, the new State of Louisiana, Florida, and the islands
of the West Indies. In the latter, it is frequently kept in
cages ; is esteemed excellent for the table, and honoured by
the French planters with the name of ortolan. They are
numerous in the sea islands on the coast of Carolina and
Georgia ; fly in flocks or coveys of fifteen or twenty ; seldom
visit the woods, preferring open fields and plantations; are
almost constantly on the ground, and, when disturbed, fly to
a short distance, and again alight. They have a frequent
jetting motion with the tail; feed on rice, various seeds and
berries, particularly those of the toothache tree,* under or near
which, in the proper season, they are almost sure to be found.
Of their nest or manner of breeding, I am unable at present
to give any account.

These birds seem to be confined to the districts lying south
of Virginia. They are plenty on the upper parts of Cape
Fear river, and in the interior of Carolina and Georgia ; but
I never have met with them either in Maryland, Delaware, or
Pennsylvania. They never congregate in such multitudes as
the common wild pigeon, or even as the Carolina pigeon
or turtle dove ; but, like the partridge, or quail, frequent the
open fields in small coveys. ‘They are easily tamed, have a
low, tender, cooing note, accompanied with the usual gesticula-
tions of their tribe.

The ground dove is a bird of passage, retiring to the islands,
and to the more southerly parts of the continent, on the ap-
proach of winter, and returning to its former haunts early in
April. It is of a more slender and delicate form, and less
able to bear the rigours of cold, than either of the other two
species common in the United States, both of which are found
in the northern regions of Canada, as well as in the genial
climate of Florida.

The dove, generally speaking, has long been considered as the
favourite emblem of peace and innocence, probably from the
respectful manner in which its name is mentioned in various
parts of Scripture; its being selected from among all the

* Xanthoxylum clava Herculis,

220 GROUND DOVE.

birds by Noah to ascertain the state of the deluge, and re-
turning to the ark bearing the olive leaf, as a messenger of
peace and good tidings; the Holy Ghost, it is also said, was
seen to descend like a dove from heaven, &. In addition to
these, there is in the dove an appearance of meekness and
innocency very interesting, and well calculated to secure our
partiality in its favour. These remarks are applicable to the
whole genus, but are more particularly so to the species now
before us, as being among the least, the most delicate, and
inoffensive of the whole.

The ground dove is six inches and a quarter long; bill,
yellow, black at the point ; nostril, covered with a prominent
membrane, as is usual with the genus; iris of the eye, orange
red; front, throat, breast, and sides of the neck, pale vinaceous
purple ; the feathers strongly defined by semicircular outlines,
those on the throat centered with dusky blue; crown and
hind head, a fine pale blue, intermixed with purple, the
plumage, like that on the throat, strongly defined; back,
cinerous brown, the scapulars deeply tinged with pale purple,
and marked with detached drops of glossy blue, reflecting
tints of purple; belly, pale vinaceous brown, becoming dark
cinerous towards the vent, where the feathers are bordered
with white; wing-quills, dusky outwardly, and at the tips;
lower sides, and whole interior vanes, a fine red chestnut,
which shows itself a little below their coverts ; tail, rounded,
consisting of twelve feathers, the two middle ones cinereous
brown, the rest black, tipt and edged with white; legs and
feet, yellow.

The female has the back and tail-coverts of a mouse colour,
with little or none of the vinaceous tint on the breast and
throat, nor any of the light blue on the hind head ; the throat
is speckled with dull white, pale clay colour, and dusky ;
sides of the neck, the same, the plumage strongly defined ;
breast, cinerous brown, slighly tinctured with purple; scapulars,
marked with large drops of a dark purplish blood colour,
reflecting tints of blue; rest of the plumage, nearly the same
as that of the male.

ebpLany .woqwng g edieeyT

SNIPE. 221

SNIPE. (Scolopax gallinago ?)

PLATE XLVII.—Fic. 1.

La Beccassine, Briss. v. 298, pl. 26, fig. 1.—ZLath. Syn. iti. 134.
SCOLOPAX WILSONIT.—TEMMINOK.*

Scolopax Wilsonii, Temm. Pl. Col., Note to description of S. gigantea—Bonap.
Synop. p. 330.—Monog. del Gen. Scolopax Osserv. Sulla, 2d edit., Del.
Reg. Anim. p. 120.—Scolopax Brehmii, Bonap. Observ. on Nomencl.

Tus bird is well known to our sportsmen ; and, if not the
same, has a very near resemblance to the common snipe of
Europe. It is usually known by the name of the English

* Five or six species of snipes are so much allied in the colours and
general marking of the plumage, that a very narrow examination is
often necessary for their determination ; from this reason, the birds from
America, Asia, and the Indian continent were considered as identical,
and a much wider geographical range allotted to the European snipe
than it was generally entitled to. Wilson had some doubts of this bird
being the same with the European snipe, as he marks his name with a
query, and observed the difference in the number of tail-feathers.
Bonaparte observed the difference as soon as his attention was turned
to the ornithology of America ; and, about the same time, a new snipe
was described by Mr Kaup, in the Isis, as found occasionally in cold
winters in the north of Germany. The Prince of Musignano, on com-
paring this description with the American species, from their very close
alliance, judged them identical ; while, in the meantime, Temminck,
comparing both together, perceived distinctions, and dedicated that of
America to her own ornithologist, an opinion which Bonaparte after-
wards confirmed and adopted in his monograph of that genus.

Mr Swainson has introduced a snipe, which he thinks is distinct,
killed on the Rocky Mountains, and named by him S. Drummondii ;
and another, killed on the Columbia, which he calls 8. Douglasii. The
first “is common in the Fur Countries up to lat. 65°, and is also found
in the recesses of the Rocky Mountains. It is intermediate in size,
between the S. major and gallinago ; it has a much longer bill than the
latter, and two more tail-feathers. Its head is divided by a pale central
stripe, as in S. gallinula and major ; its dorsal plumage more distinctly
striped than that of the latter ; and the outer tail-feather is a quarter
of an inch shorter than that of S. Douglas.” The latter, in Mr
Swainson’s collection, has the tail of sixteen feathers, not narrowed, all
banded with ferruginous except the outer pair, which are paler ; total
length, eleven and a half inches.

222 SMIPE.

snipe, to distinguish it from the woodcock, and from several
others of the same genus. It arrives in Pennsylvania about

the 10th of March, and remains in the low grounds for several .

weeks ; the greater part then move off to the north, and to the
higher inland districts, to breed. A few are occasionally
found, and consequently breed, in our low marshes during
the summer. When they first arrive, they are usually lean ;
but, when in good order, are accounted excellent eating.
They are perhaps the most difficult to shoot of all our birds,
as they fly in sudden zigzag lines, and very rapidly. Great
numbers of these birds winter on the rice grounds of the
southern States, where, in the month of February, they appeared
to be much tamer than they are usually here, as I frequently
observed them running about among the springs and watery
thickets. I was told by the inhabitants that they generally
disappeared early in the spring. On the 20th of March, I
found these birds extremely numerous on the borders of the
ponds near Louisville, Kentucky, and also in the neighbour-
hood of Lexington, in the same State, as late as the 10th of

Most of the snipes partially migrate in their native countries, and
some perform a regular distant migration. Such is the case with the
S. gallinula of Europe. The American species is a winter visitant in
the northern States, and will most probably breed farther to the south,
without leaving the country. In India, the snipes move according to
the supply of water in the tanks, and at the season when they are com-
paratively dry, leave that district entirely. In this country, although
many breed in the mosses, we have a large accession of numbers about
the middle of September, both from the wilder high grounds, and from
the continent of Europe ; and these, according to the weather, change
their stations during the whole winter. Their movements are com-
menced generally about twilight, when they fly high, surveying the
country as they pass, and one day may be found in abundance on the
highest moorland ranges, while the next they have removed to some
low and sheltered glade or marsh. In this we have a curious instance
of that instinctive knowledge which causes so simultaneous a change
of station in a single night. By close observation, during the winter
months it may be regularly perceived, sometimes even daily, and some
change certainly takes place before and after any sudden variation of
weather.—Eb.

2's

SNIPE. 223

April. I was told by several people that they are abundant
in the Illinois country, up as far as Lake Michigan. They
are but seldom seen in Pennsylvania during the summer, but
are occasionally met with in considerable numbers on their
return in autumn, along the whole eastern side of the Alle-
ghany, from the sea to the mountains. They have the same
soaring irregular flight in the air in gloomy weather as the
snipe of Europe; the same bleating note and occasional
rapid descent; spring from the marshes with the like feeble
squeak ; and in every respect resemble the common snipe of
Britain, except in being about an inch less, and in having
sixteen feathers in the tail, instead of fourteen, the number
said by Bewick to be in that of Europe. From these cir-
cumstances, we must either conclude this to be a different
species, or partially changed by difference of climate: the
former appears to me the most probable opinion of the two.
These birds abound in the meadows and low grounds along
our large rivers, particularly those that border the Schuylkill
and Delaware, from the 10th of March to the middle of April,
and sometimes later, and are eagerly sought after by many of
our gunners. The nature of the grounds, however, which these
birds frequent, the coldness of the season, and peculiar shyness
and agility of the game, render this amusement attractive only
to the most dexterous, active, and eager of our sportsmen.
The snipe is eleven inches long, and seventeen inches in
extent ; the bill is more than two inches anda half long, fluted
lengthwise, of a brown colour, and black towards the tip,
where it is very smooth while the bird is alive, but, soon after
it is killed, becomes dimpled, like the end of a thimble;
crown, black, divided by an irregular line of pale brown;
another broader one of the same tint passes over each eye ;
from the bill to the eye, there is a narrow dusky line ; neck
and upper part of the breast, pale brown, variegated with
touches of white and dusky; chin, pale; back and scapulars,
deep velvety black, the latter elegantly marbled with waving
lines of ferruginous, and broadly edged exteriorly with white ;

224 QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE.

wings, plain dusky, all the feathers, as well as those of the
coverts, tipt with white; shoulder of the wing, deep dusky
brown, exterior quill edged with white; tail-coverts, long,
reaching within three-quarters of an inch of the tip, and of a
pale rust colour, spotted with black ; tail, rounded, deep black,
ending in a bar of bright ferruginous, crossed with a narrow
waving line of black, and tipt with whitish ; belly, pure white ;
sides, barred with dusky; legs and feet, a very pale ashy
green; sometimes the whole thighs and sides of the vent are
barred with dusky and white, as in the figure on the plate.

The female differs in being more obscure in her colours ;
the white on the back being less pure, and the black not so
deep.

QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. (Perdix Virginianus.)
PLATE XLVII.—Fre. 2.

Arct. Zool. 318, No. 185.—Catesb. App. p. 12.—Virginian Quail, Turt. Syst. p.
460.—Maryland Quail, Zbtd.—La Perdrix d’Amerique, Briss. i. 230.—Buff.
ii. 447.

ORTYX VIRGINIANUS.—BonNAPARTE.*

Perdix Virginiana, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 650.—Colin Colgnicui, Temm. Pig. et
Gall. iii. p. 436.—Perdix Borealis, Temm. Pig. et Gall. Ind. p. 735.—Ortyx
Borealis, Steph. Cont. Shaw’s Zool. xi. p. 377.—Perdix (Ortyx) Virginiana,
Bonap. Synop. p. 124.—The Virginian Partridge, Aud. i. p. 388, pl. 76.

Tuis well-known bird is a general inhabitant of North
America, from the northern parts of Canada and Nova Scotia,
in which latter place it is said to be migratory, to the extremity

* The genus Ortyx was formed by Mr Stephens, the continuator of
Shaw’s Zoology, for the reception of the thick and strong-billed par-
tridges peculiar to both continents of the New World, and holding the
place there with the partridges, francolins, and quails of other countries.
They live on the borders of woods, among brushwood, or on the thick
grassy plains, and since the cultivation of the country, frequent culti-
vated fields. During the night they roost on trees, and occasionally
perch during the day ; when alarmed, or chased by dogs, they fly to the
middle branches ; and Mr Audubon remarks, “ they walk with ease on
the branches.” In all these habits they show their alliance to the perch-
ing Galline, and a variation from the true partridge. The same
naturalist also remarks, that they occasionally perform partial migra--

QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. 225

of the peninsula of Florida ; and was seen in the neighbour-
hood of the Great Osage village, in the interior of Louisiana.
They are numerous in Kentucky and Ohio. Mr Pennant

tions, from north-west to south-east, in the beginning of October, and
that for a few weeks the north-western shores of the Ohio are covered
with partridges.

Their general form is robust, the bill very strong, and apparently
fitted for a mode of feeding requiring considerable exertion, such as the
digging up. of bulbous and tuberous roots. The head is crested in all
the known species, the feathers sometimes of a peculiar structure, the
shafts bare, and the extremity of the webs folding on each other. The
tail also exhibits different forms ; in the more typical species short, as
in the partridges, and in others becoming broad and long, as seen in the
Indian genus Crez, or the more extensively distributed genus Penelope.
Considerable additions to the number of species have been lately made.
Those belonging to the northern continent, and consequently coming under
our notice, are two, discovered by Mr Douglas,—Ortyx picta, described
in the last volume of the “ Linnean Transactions,” and O. Douglasii, so
named by Mr Vigors, in honour of its discoverer, and also described
with the former. To these may be added the lovely O. Californica,
which, previous to this expedition, and the voyage of Captain Beechey
to the coast of California, was held in the light of a dubious species. I
have added the descriptions of these new species from Mr Douglas’s
account in the “ Transactions of the Linnean Society.”

Ortyx picta.—DOovuGLAS.

Male,—Bill, small, black ; crown of the head and breast, lead colour ;
crest, three linear black feathers, two inches long ; irides, bright hazel
red ; throat, purple red, bounded by a narrow white line, forming a
gorget above the breast, and extending round the eye and root of the
beak ; back, scapulars, and outer coverts of the wings, fuscous brown ;
belly, bright tawny or rusty colour, waved with black ; the points of
the feathers white; quills, thirteen feathers, the fourth the longest ;
under coverts, light brown, mixed with a rusty colour; tail, twelve
feathers, of unequal length, rounded, lead colour, but less bright than
the breast or crown of the head ; tarsi, one inch and a quarter long,
reddish ; toes, webbed nearly to the first joint.

Female,—Head and breast, light fuscous brown; the middle of the
feathers, black ; crest, half an inch long ; throat, whitish or light gray ;
belly, light gray, waved with black, less bright than the male ; under
coyerts of the tail, foxy red ; length, ten inches ; girth, sixteen inches ;
weight, about twelve ounces ; flesh, brown, well-flavoured.

From October until March, these birds congregate in vast flocks, and
seem to live in a state of almost perpetual warfare; dreadful conflicts

VOL. II. P

226 QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE.

remarks, that they have been lately introduced into the island
of Jamaica, where they appear to thrive greatly, breeding in
that warm climate twice in the year. Captain Henderson
mentions them as being plenty near the Balize, at the Bay of

ensue between the males, which not unfrequently end in the destruction
of one or both combatants, if we may judge from the number of dead
birds daily seen plucked, mutilated, and covered with blood. When
feeding, they move in compact bodies, each individual endeavouring to
outdo his neighbour in obtaining the prize. The voice is quick-quick-
quick, pronounced slowly, with a gentle suspension between each syllable.
At such times, or when surprised, the crest is usually thrown forward
over the back ; and the reverse when retreating, being brought back-
wards, and laid quite close. Their favourite haunts are dry upland, or
undulating, gravelly, or sandy soils, in open woods or coppice thickets
of the interior ; but during the severity of winter, when the ground is
covered with snow, they migrate in large flocks to the more temperate
places in the immediate vicinity of the ocean. Seeds of Bromus altissimus,
Madia sativa, and a tribe of plants allied to Wadelia, catkins of Corylus,
leaves of Fragaria, and various insects, are their common food. Nest
on the ground, in thickets of Pteris, Aspidiwm, Rubus, Rhamnus, and
Ceanothus ; neatly built with grass and dry leaves ; secreted with so
much caution, that, without the help of a dog, they can hardly be found.
Eggs, eleven to fifteen, yellowish white, with minute brown spots ;
large in proportion to the bird. Pair in March. Common in the in-
terior of California ; and, during the summer months, extending as far
northward as 45° north latitude, that is, within a few miles of the Col-
umbian Valley.
Ortyx Douglasii.—VIGORS.

Male.—Bill, brown ; crest, linear, black, one inch long; irides, hazel
red ; body, fuscous brown, with a mixture of lead colour, and rusty or
yellow streaks ; throat, whitish, with brown spots ; belly, foxy red or
tawny, white spotted; scapulars and outer coverts, bright brown; under
coverts, light reddish brown ; tail, twelve unequal rounded feathers ; legs,
reddish ; length, nine inches; girth, twelve inches; weight, ten ounces;
flesh, pleasant, dark coloured.

Female.—Crest, scarcely perceptible, dark.

This species appears to be an inhabitant of a more temperate climate
than the preceding one, as it is never seen higher than 42° N. latitude,
and even that very sparingly in comparison to O. Picta and Californica.
The species do not associate together. In manner they are similar, at
least as far as the opportunity I had of observing them went. I have
never seen them but in winter dress, and know nothing of their nesting.
—Eb.

QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. 227

Honduras. They rarely frequent the forest, and are most
numerous in the vicinity of well-cultivated plantations, where
grain is in plenty. They, however, occasionally seek shelter
in the woods, perching on the branches or secreting them-
selves among the brushwood; but are found most usually in
open fields, or along fences sheltered by thickets of briers.
Where they are not too much persecuted by the sportsmen,
they become almost half domesticated ; approach the barn,
particularly in winter, and sometimes, in that severe season,
mix with the poultry to glean up a subsistence. They remain
with us the whole year, and often suffer extremely by long,
hard winters, and deep snows. At such times, the arts of
man combine with the inclemency of the season for their
destruction. To the ravages of the gun are added others of a
more insidious kind ; traps are placed on almost every plan-
tation, in such places as they are known to frequent. These
are formed of lath, or thinly-split sticks, somewhat in the
shape of an obtuse cone, laced together with cord, having a
small hole at top, with a sliding lid to take out the game by.
This is supported by the common figure 4 trigger ; and grain
is scattered below and leading to the place. By this con-
trivance, ten or fifteen have sometimes been taken at a time.*

* Jn addition to the common traps now described, Mr Audubon men-
tions that they are also netted, or driven, as it is called. He thus de-
scribes the method of driving :—

“A number of persons on horseback, provided with a net, set out in
search of partridges, riding along the fences or brier thickets which the
birds are known to frequent. One or two of the party whistle in imi-
tation of the call-note, and, as partridges are plentiful, the call is soon
answered by a covey, when the sportsmen immediately proceed to ascer-
tain their position and number, seldom considering it worth while to
set the net when there are only afew birds. They approach in a care-
less manner, talking and laughing as if merely passing by. When the
birds are discovered, one of the party gallops off in a circuitous manner,
gets in advance of the rest by a hundred yards or more, according to
the situation of the birds, and their disposition to run, while the rest
of the sportsmen move about on their horses, talking to each other, but,

at the same time, watching every motion of the partridges. The person
in advance being provided with the net, dismounts, and at once falls to

228 QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE.

These are sometimes brought alive to market, and occasionally
bought up by sportsmen, who, if the season be very severe,
sometimes preserve and feed them till spring, when they are
humanely turned out to their native fields again, to be put to
death at some future time secundum artem. Between the
months of August and March, great numbers of these birds
are brought to the market of Philadelphia, where they are
sold at from twelve to eighteen cents apiece.

The quail begins to build early in May. The nest is made
on the ground, usually at the bottom of a thick tuft of grass,
that shelters and conceals it. The materials are leaves and
fine dry grass in considerable quantity. It is well covered
above, and an opening left on one side for entrance. The
female lays from fifteen to twenty-four eggs, of a pure white,
without any spots. The time of incubation has been stated
to me, by various persons, at four weeks, when the eggs were
placed under the domestic hen. The young leave the nest as
soon as they are freed from the shell, and are conducted about
in search of food by the female; are guided by her voice,
which at that time resembles the twittering of young chickens,
and sheltered by her wings in the same manner as those of
the domestic fowl, but with all that secrecy and precaution
for their safety which their helplessness and greater danger
require. In this situation, should the little timid family be
unexpectedly surprised, the utmost alarm and consternation
instantly prevail. The mother throws herself in the path,

placing it, so that his companions can easily drive the partridges into
it. No sooner is the machine ready, than the net-bearer remounts and
rejoins the party. The sportsmen separate to a short distance, and fol-
low the partridges, talking, whistling, clapping their hands, or knocking
the fence-rails. The birds move with great gentleness, following each
other, and are kept in the right direction by the sportsmen. The lead-
ing bird approaches and enters the mouth of the net—the others follow
in succession, when the net-bearer leaps from his horse, runs up and
secures the entrance, and soon despatches the birds. In this manner
fifteen or twenty partridges are caught at one driving, and sometimes
many hundreds in the course of the day.”—Ep.

QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. 229

fluttering along, and beating the ground with her wings, as if
sorely wounded ; using every artifice she is master of to entice
the passenger in pursuit of herself, uttering at the same time
certain peculiar notes of alarm, well understood by the young,
who dive separately amongst the grass, and secrete themselves
till the danger is over ; and the parent, having decoyed the
pursuer to a safe distance, returns by a circuitous route to
collect and lead them off. This well-known manceuvre, which
nine times in ten is successful, is honourable to the feelings
and judgment of the bird, but a severe satire on man. ‘The
affectionate mother, as if sensible of the avaricious cruelty of
his nature, tempts him with a larger prize, to save her more
helpless offspring ; and pays him, as avarice and cruelty ought
always to be paid, with mortification and disappointment.

The eggs of the quail have been frequently placed under the
domestic hen, and hatched and reared with equal success as
her own; though, generally speaking, the young partridges,
being more restless and vagrant, often lose themselves, and
disappear. The hen ought to be a particular good nurse, not
at all disposed to ramble, in which case they are very easily
raised. Those that survive acquire all the familiarity of
common chickens; and there is little doubt that, if proper
measures were taken, and persevered in for a few years, they
might be completely domesticated. They have been often
kept during the first season, and through the whole of the
winter, but have uniformly deserted in the spring. 'T'wo young
partridges that were brought up by a hen, when abandoned
by her, associated with the cows, which they regularly followed
to the fields, returned with them when they came home in the
evening, stood by them while they were milked, and again
accompanied them to the pasture. These remained during
the winter, lodging in the stable, but as soon as spring came,
they disappeared. Of this fact I was informed by a very
respectable lady, by whom they were particularly observed.

It has been frequently asserted to me, that the quails lay
occasionally in each other’s nests. Though I have never

230 QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE.

myself seen a case of this kind, I do not think it altogether
improbable, from the fact that they have often been known
to drop their eggs in the nest of the common hen, when that
happened to be in the fields, or at a small distance from the
house. The two partridges above mentioned were raised in
this manner; and it was particularly remarked by the lady
who gave me the information, that the hen sat for several days
after her own eggs were hatched, until the young quails made
their appearance.

The partridge, on her part, has sometimes been employed
to hatch the eges of the common domestic hen. A friend of
mine, who himself made the experiment, informs me, that, of
several hen’s eggs which he substituted in place of those of
the partridge, she brought out the whole; and that, for several
weeks, he occasionally surprised her in various parts of the
plantation with her brood of chickens ; on which occasions
she exhibited all that distressful alarm, and practised her
usual manceuvres for their preservation. Even after they
were considerably grown, and larger than the partridge her-
self, she continued to lead them about; but, though their
notes or call were those of common chickens, their manners
had all the shyness, timidity, and alarm of young partridges ;
running with great rapidity, and squatting in the grass exactly
in the manner of the partridge. Soon after this, they disap-
peared, having probably been destroyed by dogs, by the gun,
or by birds of prey. Whether the domestic fowl might not
by this method be very soon brought back to its original savage
state, and thereby supply another additional subject for the
amusement of the sportsman, will scarcely admit of a doubt.
But the experiment, in order to secure its success, would require
to be made in a quarter of the country less exposed than ours
to the ravages of guns, traps, dogs, and the deep snows of
winter, that the new tribe might have full time to become
completely naturalised, and well fixed in all their native habits.

About the beginning of September, the quails being now
nearly fully grown, and associated in flocks or coveys of from

QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. 231

four or five to thirty, afford considerable sport to the gunner.
At this time the notes of the male are most frequent, clear,
and loud. His common call consists of two notes, with some-
times an introductory one, and is similar to the sound produced
by pronouncing the words “ Bob White.” This call may be
easily imitated by whistling, so as to deceive the bird itself,
and bring it near. While uttering this, he is usually perched
on a rail of the fence, or on a low limb of an apple tree, where
he will sometimes sit, repeating, at short intervals, “ Bob
White,” for half an hour at a time. When a covey are
assembled in a thicket or corner of a field, and about to take
wing, they make a low twittering sound, not unlike that of
young chickens; and when the covey is dispersed, they are
called together again by a loud and frequently repeated note,
peculiarly expressive of tenderness and anxiety.

The food of the partridge consists of grain, seeds, insects,
and berries of various kinds. Buckwheat and Indian-corn are
particular favourites. In September and October the buck-
wheat fields afford them an abundant supply, as well as a
secure shelter. They usually roost at, night in the middle of
a field on high ground; and from the circumstance of their
dung being often found in such places in one round heap, it
is generally conjectured that they roost in a circle, with their
heads outwards, each individual in this position forming a
kind of guard to prevent surprise. hey also continue to
Jodge for several nights in the same spot.

The partridge, like all the rest of the gallinaceous order,
flies with a loud whirring sound, occasioned by the shortness,
concavity, and rapid motion of its wings, and the comparative
weight of its body. ‘he steadiness of its horizontal flight,
however, renders it no difficult mark to the sportsman, parti-
cularly when assisted by his sagacious pointer. The flesh of
this bird is peculiarly white, tender, and delicate, unequalled
in these qualities by that of any other of its genus in the
United States.

The quail, as it is called in New England, or the partridge,

aii)

232 RAIL.

as in Pennsylvania, is nine inches long, and fourteen inches
in extent; the bill is black; line over the eye, down the neck,
and whole chin, pure white, bounded by a band of black,
which descends and spreads broadly over the throat; the eye
is dark hazel; crown, neck, and upper part of the breast, red
brown; sides of the neck, spotted with white and black on
a reddish brown ground ; back, scapulars, and lesser coverts,
red brown, intermixed with ash, and sprinkled with black ;
tertials, edged with yellowish white; wings, plain dusky ;
lower part of the breast and belly, pale yellowish white,
beautifully marked with numerous curving spots, or arrow-
heads of black; tail, ash, sprinkled with reddish brown; legs,
very pale ash.

The female differs in having the chin and sides of the head
yellowish brown, in which dress it has been described as a
different kind. There is, however, only one species of quail
at present known within the United States.

RAIL. (Rallus Carolinus.)
PLATE XLVIII.—Fie. 1.
Soree, Catesb. i. 70.—Arct. Zool. p. 491, No. 409.—Little American Water-hen,
Edw. 144.—Le Rale de Virginie, Buff. viii. 165.
CREX CAROLINUS.—BONAPARTE.*
Rallus (Crex) Carolinus, Bonap. Synop. p. 335.

Or all our land or water fowl, perhaps none afford the
sportsmen more agreeable amusement, or a more delicious
repast, than the little bird now before us. This amusement
is indeed temporary, lasting only two or three hours in the

* Almost every ornithologist has been at variance with regard to the
propriety and limitation of the genera Lallus, Crex, and Gallinula.
They appear to be sufficiently distinct, and not to run more into each
other than many other groups, and, in the present state of ornithology,
their separation is indispensable. Crex may be characterised by the bill
shorter than the head, strong at the base, and tapering, the forehead
feathered ; the common land rail or corncrake of Europe, and our

TOGA
WUD)
MUL

“Ag
CEU)

RAIL. 238

day, for four or five weeks in each year; but as it occurs in
the most agreeable and temperate of our seasons, is attended
with little or no fatigue to the gunner, and is frequently
successful, it attracts numerous followers, and is pursued
in such places as the birds frequent with great eagerness and
enthusiasm.

present species, may be taken as very good typical examples. In
Gallinula, the forehead is defended with a flat cartilaginous shield, and
the habits are more open. In fallus, the bill is longer than the head,
and comparatively slender.

In habit they nearly agree ; timid, and fond of concealment during
the day, they frequent low meadows or marshy grounds, and run
swiftly : the common land rail will beat a good runner for a short way, as
T have sometimes experienced. They run with the body near the ground,
and make their turns with astonishing celerity. When raised or sur-
prised during the day, they fly clumsily ; but in the evening, and when
that faculty is exerted with their will, it is much more actively per-
formed ; their time for exertion is evening and morning, often during
the night: then they feed, and, during breeding season, utter the in-
cessant and inharmonious cry which almost all possess. The cry is
remarkable in all that I have heard, appearing to be uttered sometimes
within a few yards, and, in a second or two, as if at an opposite part of
the ground. The land rail possesses this ventriloquism to a great extent,
and, knowing their swift running powers, I at first thought that the
bird was actually traversing the field, and it was not until I had observed
one perched upon a stone utter its cry for some time, and give full
evidence of its powers, that I became convinced of the contrary. The
corncrake, and, indeed, I rather think most of the others, and also the
rails, seem to remain stationary when uttering the cry. A stone, clod
of earth, or old sod wall, is the common calling place of our own bird ;
and they may be easily watched, in the beginning of summer, if
approached with caution, before the herbage begins tothicken. They seem
to feed on larger prey than what are assigned to them: large water
insects and the smaller reptiles may assist in sustaining the aquatic
species, while slugs and larger snails will furnish subsistence to the
others. I have found the common short-tailed field mouse in the
stomach of our land rail.

Their flesh is generally delicate, some as much esteemed as the
American bird, and the young, before commencing their migrations,
become extremely fat.

Crexz Carolinus is the only species of the genus yet discovered in
North America, and is peculiar to that continent.— Ep.

234 | RAIL.

The natural history of the rail, or, as it is called in Virginia,
the sora, and in South Carolina, the coot, is, to the most of
our sportsmen, involved in profound and inexplicable mystery.
It comes they know not whence, and goes they know not
where. No one can detect their first moment of arrival; yet
all at once the reedy shores and grassy marshes of our large
rivers swarm with them, thousands being sometimes found
within the space of a few acres. ‘These, when they do venture
on wing, seem to fly so feebly, and in such short fluttering
flights among the reeds, as to render it highly improbable to
most people that they could possibly make their way over an
extensive tract of country. Yet, on the first smart frost that
occurs, the whole suddenly disappear, as if they had never been.

To account for these extraordinary phenomena, it has been
supposed by some that they bury themselves in the mud ; but
as this is every year dug into by ditchers, and people employed
in repairing the banks, without any of those sleepers being
found, where but a few weeks before these birds were in-
numerable, this theory has been generally abandoned. And
here their researches into this mysterious matter generally
end in the common exclamation of ‘‘ What can become of
them!” Some profound inquirers, however, not discouraged
with these difficulties, have prosecuted their researches with
more success; and one of those, living a few years ago near
the mouth of James River, in Virginia, where the rail, or
sora, are extremely numerous, has (as I was informed on the
spot) lately discovered that they change into frogs! having
himself found in his meadows an animal of an extraordinary
kind, that appeared to be neither a sora nor a frog, but, as he
expressed it, ‘something between the two.” He carried it to
his negroes, and afterwards took it home, where it lived three
days; and, in his own and his negroes’ opinion, it looked like
nothing in this world but a real sora changing into a frog!
What further confirms this grand discovery is the well-known
circumstance of the frogs ceasing to hollow as soon as the sora
comes in the fall.

RAIL. 235

This sagacious discoverer, however, like many others re-
nowned in history, has found but few supporters, and, except
his own negroes, has not, as far as I can learn, made a single
convert to his opinion. Matters being so circumstanced, and
some explanation necessary, I shall endeavour to throw a
little more light on the subject by a simple detail of facts,
leaving the reader to form his own theory as he pleases.

The rail, or sora, belongs to a genus of birds of which
about thirty different species are enumerated by naturalists ;
and those are distributed over almost every region of the
habitable parts of the earth. 'The general character of these
is everywhere the same. They run swiftly, fly slowly, and
usually with the legs hanging down ; become extremely fat ;
are fond of concealment; and, wherever it is practicable,
prefer running to flying. Most of them are migratory, and
abound during the summer in certain countries, the inhabitants
of which have very rarely an opportunity of seeing them. Of
this last the land rail of Britain is a striking example. This
bird, which during the summer months may be heard in
almost every grass and clover field in the kingdom, uttering
its common note crek, crek, from sunset to a late hour in the
night, is yet unknown by sight to more than nine-tenths of the
inhabitants. ‘‘ Its well-known cry,’ says Bewick, “is first
heard as soon as the grass becomes long enough to shelter it,
and continues till the grass is cut; but the bird is seldom
seen, for it constantly skulks among the thickest part of the
herbage, and runs so nimbly through it, winding and doubling
in every direction, that it is difficult to come near it; when
hard pushed by the dog, it sometimes stops short, and squats
down, by which means its too eager pursuer overshoots the
spot, and loses the trace. It seldom springs but when driven
to extremity, and generally flies with its legs hanging down,
but never to a great distance ; as soon as it alights, it runs off,
and, before the fowler has reached the spot, the bird is at a
considerable distance.”* The water crake, or spotted rail,

* Bewick’s British Birds, vol. i. p. 308.

—————

—

PL Cr +

~——

236 RAIL

of the same country, which in its plumage approaches nearer
to our rail, is another notable example of the same general
habit of the genus. “Its common abode,” says the same
writer, “is in low swampy grounds, in which are pools or
streamlets overgrown with willows, reeds, and rushes, where it
lurks and hides itself with great circumspection ; it is wild,
solitary, and shy, and will swim, dive, or skulk under any
cover, and sometimes suffer itself to be knocked on the head
rather than rise before the sportsman and his dog.” The
water rail of the same country is equally noted for the like
habits. In short, the whole genus possess this strong family
character in a very remarkable degree.

These three species are well known to migrate into Britain
early in spring, and to leave it for the more southern parts
of Europe in autumn. Yet they are rarely or never seen on
their passage to or from the countries where they are regularly
found at different seasons of the year, and this for the very
same reasons that they are so rarely seen even in the places
where they inhabit.

It is not, therefore, at all surprising, that the reeular migra-
tions of the American rail, or sora, should in like manner
have escaped notice in a country like this, whose population
bears so small a proportion to its extent, and where the study
of natural history is so little attended to. But that these
migrations do actually take place, from north to south, and
vice versa, may be fairly inferred from the common practice
of thousands of other species of birds less solicitous of con-
cealment, and also from the following facts.

On the 22d day of February, I killed two of these birds in
the neighbourhood of Savannah, in Georgia, where they have
never been observed during the summer. On the 2d of
May following, I shot another in a watery thicket below
Philadelphia, between the rivers Schuylkill and Delaware, in
what is usually called the Neck. ‘This last was a male, in
full plumage. We are also informed that they arrive at
Hudson’s Bay early in June, and again leave that settlement

RAIL. 220,

for the south early in autumn. That many of them also
remain here to breed is proven by the testimony of persons of
credit and intelligence with whom I have conversed, both
here and on James River, in Virginia, who have seen their
nests, eggs, and young. In the extensive meadows that
border the Schuylkill and Delaware it was formerly common,
before the country was so thickly settled there, to find young
rail in the first mowing time among the grass. Mr James
Bartram, brother to the botanist, a venerable and still active
man of eighty-three, and well acquainted with this bird, says
that he has often seen and caught young rail in his own
meadows in the month of June; he has also seen their nest,
which he says is usually in a tussock of grass, is formed of a
little dry grass, and has four or five eggs, of a dirty whitish
colour, with brown or blackish spots: the young run off as
soon as they break the shell, are then quite black, and run
about among the grass like mice. The old ones he has very
rarely observed at that time, but the young often. Almost every
old settler along these meadows with whom I have conversed
has occasionally seen young rail in mowing time ; and all
agree in describing them as covered with blackish down.
There can, therefore, be no reasonable doubt as to the resi-
dence of many of these birds, both here and to the northward,
during the summer. That there can be as little doubt rela-
tive to their winter retreat will appear more particularly
towards the sequel of the present account. During their
residence here, in summer, their manners exactly correspond
with those of the water crake of Britain, already quoted, so
that, though actually a different species, their particular habits
common places of resort, and eagerness for concealment, are
as nearly the same as the nature of the climates will admit.
Early in August, when the reeds along the shores of the
Delaware have attained their full growth, the rail resort to
them in great numbers to feed on the seeds of this plant, of
which they, as well as the rice birds, and several others, are
immoderately fond. These reeds, which appear to be the

el
a as - ———
c <

238 RAIL.

Zizania panicula effusa of Linneeus, and the Zizania elavulosa
of Willdenow, grow up from the soft muddy shores of the tide
water, which are alternately dry, and covered with four or five
feet of water. They rise with an erect, tapering stem, to
the height of eight or ten feet, being nearly as thick below as
a man’s wrist, and cover tracts along the river of many acres.
The cattle feed on their long green leaves with avidity, and
wade in after them as far as they dare safely venture. They
grow up so close together, that, except at or near high water,
a boat can with difficulty make its way through among them.
The seeds are produced at the top of the plant, the blossoms,
or male parts, occupying the lower branches of the panicle,
and the seeds the higher. These seeds are nearly as long as
a common-sized pin, somewhat more slender, white, sweet to
the taste, and very nutritive, as appears by their effects on the
various birds that at this season feed on them.

When the reeds are in this state, and even while in blossom,
the rail are found to have taken possession of them in great
numbers. These are generally numerous in proportion to the
full and promising crop of the former. As you walk along
the embankment of the river at this season, you hear them
squeaking in every direction like young puppies. If a stone
be thrown among the reeds, there is a general outcry, and a
reiterated kuk, kuk, kuk, something like that of a guineafowl.
Any sudden noise, or the discharge of a gun, produces the
same effect. In the meantime none are to be seen, unless it
be at or near high water; for when the tide is low, they
universally secrete themselves among the interstices of
the reeds, and you may walk past, and even over, where
there are hundreds, without seeing a single individual. On
their first arrival, they are generally lean, and unfit for the
table; but, as the reeds ripen, they rapidly fatten, and from
the 20th of September to the middle of October are excellent,
and eagerly sought after. The usual method of shooting
them, in this quarter of the country, is as follows :—The
sportsman furnishes himself with a light batteau, and a stout

RATL. 239

experienced boatman, with a pole of twelve or fifteen feet
long, thickened at the lower end to prevent it from sinking
too deep into the mud. About two hours or so before high
water, they enter the reeds, and each takes his post, the
sportsman standing in the bow ready for action, the boatman,
on the stern seat, pushing her steadily through the reeds.
The rail generally spring singly, as the boat advances, and
at a short distance ahead, and are instantly shot down, while
the boatman, keeping his eye on the spot where the bird fell,
directs the boat forward, and picks it up as the gunner is
loading. It is also the boatman’s business to keep a sharp
look-out, and give the word “ Mark!” when a rail springs
on either side without being observed by the sportsman, and
to note the exact spot where it falls until he has picked it
up; for this once lost sight of, owing to the sameness in the
appearance of the reeds, is seldom found again. In this
manner the boat moves steadily through and over the reeds,
the birds flushing and falling, the gunner loading and firing,
while the boatman is pushing and picking up. The sport
continues till an hour or two after high water, when the
shallowness of the water, and the strength and weight of the
floating reeds, as also the backwardness of the game to spring
as the tide decreases, oblige them to return. Several boats
are sometimes within a short distance of each other, and a
perpetual cracking of musketry prevails along the whole reedy
shores of the river. In these excursions it is not uncommon
for an active and expert marksman to kill ten or twelve dozen
in a tide. They are usually shot singly, though I have
known five killed at one discharge of a double-barrelled piece.
These instances, however, are rare.

The flight of these birds among the reeds is usually low,
and, shelter being abundant, is rarely extended to more than
fifty or one hundred yards. When winged, and uninjured in
their legs, they swim and dive with great rapidity, and are
seldom seen to rise again. I have several times, on such
occasions, discovered them clinging with their feet to the

|
|
|

240 RAIL.

reeds under the water, and at other times skulking under the
floating reeds, with their bill just above the surface. Some-
times, when wounded, they dive, and rising under the gun-
wale of the boat, secrete themselves there, moving round as
the boat moves, until they have an opportunity of escaping
unnoticed. They are feeble and delicate in everything but
the legs, which seem to possess great vigour and energy ; and
their bodies being so remarkably thin or compressed as to
be less than an inch and a quarter through transversely, they
are enabled to pass between the reeds like rats, When seen,
they are almost constantly jetting up the tail. Yet, though
their flight among the reeds seems feeble and fluttering, every
sportsman who is acquainted with them here must have seen
them occasionally rising to a considerable height, stretching
out their legs behind them, and flying rapidly across the
river where it is more than a mile in width.

Such is the mode of rail-shooting in the neighbourhood of
Philadelphia. In Virginia, particularly along the shores of
James River, within the tide water, where the rail, or sora,
are in prodigious numbers, they are also shot on the wing, but
more usually taken at night in the following manner:—A
kind of iron grate is fixed on the top of a stout pole, which is
placed like a mast in a light canoe, and filled with fire. The
darker the night the more successful is the sport. The person
who manages the canoe is provided with a light paddle ten or
twelve feet in length, and, about an hour before high water,
proceeds through among the reeds, which lie broken and
floating on the surface. The whole space, for a considerable
way round the canoe, is completely enlightened; the birds
stare with astonishment, and, as they appear, are knocked on
the head with the paddle, and thrown into the canoe. In
this manner, from twenty to eighty dozen have been killed by
three negroes in the short space of three hours!

At the same season, or a little earlier, they are very numer-
ous in the lagoons near Detroit, on our northern frontiers,
where another species of reed (of which they are equally fond)

RAIL. 241

grows in shallows in great abundance. Gentlemen who have
shot them there, and on whose judgment I can rely, assure
me that they differ in nothing from those they have usually
killed on the shores of the Delaware and Schuylkill: they are
equally fat, and exquisite eating. On the sea-coast of New
Jersey, where these reeds are not to be found, this bird is
altogether unknown; though along the marshes of Maurice
River, and other tributary streams of the Delaware, and where-
ever the reeds abound, the rail are sure to be found also.
Most of them leave Pennsylvania before the end of October,
and the southern States early in November, though numbers
linger in the warm southern marshes the whole winter. A
very worthy gentleman, Mr Harrison, who lives in Kittiwan,
near a creek of that name, on the borders of James River,
informed me, that, in burning his meadows early in March,
they generally raise and destroy several of these birds. That
the great body of these rail winter in countries beyond the
United States is rendered highly probable from their being
so frequently met with at sea, between our shores and the
West India islands. A Captain Douglas informed me, that
on his voyage from St Domingo to Philadelphia, and more
than a hundred miles from the capes of the Delaware, one
night the man at the helm was alarmed by a sudden crash on
deck that broke the glass im the binnacle, and put out the
light. On examining into the cause, three rail were found on
deck, two of which were killed on the spot, and the other
died soon after. The late Bishop Madison, president of
William and Mary College, Virginia, assured me that a Mr
Skipwith, for some time our consul in Europe, on his return
to the United States, when upwards of three hundred miles
from the capes of the Chesapeake, several rail, or soras, I
think five or six, came on board, and were caught by the
people. Mr Skipwith, being well acquainted with the bird,
assured him that they were the very same with those usually
killed on James River, I have received like assurances from

several other gentlemen and captains of vessels who have met
VOL, II. Q

8 Se

242 RAIL.

with these birds between the mainland and the islands, so as
to leave no doubt on my mind of the fact. For why should
it be considered incredible that a bird which can both swim
and dive well, and at pleasure fly with great rapidity, as I
have myself frequently witnessed, should be incapable of
migrating, like so many others, over extensive tracts of land
or sea? Inhabiting, as they do, the remote regions of
Hudson’s Bay, where it is impossible they could subsist dur-
ing the rigours of their winter, they must either emigrate
from thence or perish ; and as the same places in Pennsyl-
vania which abound with them in October are often laid
under ice and snow during the winter, it is as impossible that
they could exist here in that inclement season. Heaven has,
therefore, given them, in common with many others, certain
prescience of these circumstances, and judgment, as well as
strength of flight, sufficient to seek more genial climates
abounding with their suitable food.

The rail is nine inches long, and fourteen inches in extent;
bill, yellow, blackish towards the point; lores, front, crown,
chin, and stripe down the throat, black; line over the eye,
cheeks, and breast, fine light ash ; sides of the crown, neck,
and upper parts generally, olive brown, streaked with black,
and also with long lines of pure white, the feathers being
centred with black on a brown olive ground, and edged with
white ; these touches of white are shorter near the shoulder
of the wing, lengthening as they descend ; wing, plain olive
brown ; tertials, streaked with black, and long lines of white;
tail, pointed, dusky olive brown, centred with black ; the four
middle feathers bordered for half their length with lines of
white; lower part of the breast marked with semicircular
lines of white on a light ash ground; belly, white; sides under
the wings, deep olive, barred with black, white, and reddish
buff; vent, brownish buff; legs, feet, and naked part of the
thighs, yellowish green; exterior edge of the wing, white;
eyes, reddish hazel.

The females and young of the first season have the throat

RAIL. 243

white, the breast pale brown, and little or no black on the
head. The males may always be distinguished by their ashy
blue breasts and black throats.

During the greater part of the months of September and
October, the market of Philadelphia is abundantly supplied
with rail, which are sold from half a dollar to a dollar a dozen.
Soon after the 20th of October, at which time our first smart
frosts generally take place, these birds move off to the south.
In Virginia, they usually remain until the first week in
November.

Since the above was written, I have received from Mr George
Ord of Philadelphia some curious particulars relative to this
bird, which, as they are new, and come from a gentleman of
respectability, are worthy of being recorded, and merit further
investigation.

“My personal experience,’ says Mr Ord, “has made me
acquainted with a fact in the history of the rail which per-
haps is not generally known, and I shall, as briefly as possible,
communicate it to yon. Some time in the autumn of the
year 1809, as I was walking in a yard, after a severe shower
of rain, I perceived the feet of a bird projecting from a spout.
I pulled it out, and discovered it to be a rail, very vigorous,
and in perfect health. The bird was placed in a small room,
on a gin-case, and [ was amusing myself with it, when, in the
act of pointing my finger at it, it suddenly sprang forward,
apparently much uritated, fell to the floor, and, stretching out
its feet, and bending its neck until the head nearly touched
the back, became to all appearance lifeless. Thinking the
fall had killed the bird, I took it up, and began to lament my
rashness in provoking it. In a few minutes it again breathed,
but it was some time before it perfectly recovered from the
fit into which, it now appeared evident, it had fallen. I
placed the rail in a room wherein canary birds were confined,
and resolved that, on the succeeding day, I would endeavour
to discover whether or not the passion of anger had produced

244 RAIL.

the fit. I entered the room at the appointed time, and ap-
proached the bird, which had retired, on beholding me, in a
sullen humour, to a corner. On pointing my finger at it,
its feathers were immediately ruffled, and in an instant it
sprang forward, as in the first instance, and fell into a similar
fit. The following day, the experiment was repeated with
the like effect. In the fall of 1811, as I was shooting amongst
the reeds, I perceived a rail rise but afew feet before my
batteau. The bird had risen about a yard, when it became
entangled in the tops of a small bunch of reeds, and immedi-
ately fell. Its feet and neck were extended asin the instances
above mentioned, and, before it had time to recover, I killed
it. Some few days afterwards, as a friend and I were shooting
in the same place, he killed a rail, and, as we approached the
spot to pick it up, another was perceived, not a foot off, in a
fit. I took up the latter, and placed it in the crown of my
hat. In a few moments it revived, and was as vigorous as
ever. These facts go to prove that the rail is subject to gusts
of passion, which operate to so violent a degree as to produce
a disease similar in its effects to epilepsy. I leave the expli-
cation of the phenomenon to those pathologists who are com-
petent and willing to investigate it. It may be worthy of
remark, that the birds affected as described were all females
of the Gallinula Carolina, or common rail.

“The rail, though generally reputed a simple bird, will
sometimes manifest symptoms of considerable intelligence. 'To
those acquainted with rail-shooting, it is hardly necessary to
mention that the tide, in its flux, is considered an almost in-
dispensable auxiliary ; for, when the water is off the marsh, the
lubricity of the mud, the height and compactness of the reed,
and the swiftness of foot of the game, tend to weary the sports-
man and to frustrate his endeavours. Even should he succeed
in a tolerable degree, the reward is not commensurate to the
labour. I have entered the marsh in a batteau at a common
tide, and in a well-known haunt have beheld but few birds.
The next better tide, on resorting to the same spot, I have
perceived abundance of game. The fact is, the rail dive, and

RAIL. 245

conceal themselves beneath the fallen reed, merely projecting
their heads above the surface of the water for air, and re-
main in that situation until the sportsman has passed them ;
and it is well known that it is a common practice with wounded
rail to dive to the bottom, and, holding on by some vegetable
substance, support themselves in that situation until exhausted.
During such times, the bird, in escaping from one enemy, has
often to encounter another not less formidable. Hels and
catfish swarm in every direction prowling for prey, and it is
ten to one if a wounded rail escapes them. I myself have be-
held a large eel make off with a bird that I had shot, before I
had time to pick it up; and one of my boys, in bobbing for
eels, caught one with a whole rail in its belly.

‘“‘T have heard it observed, that on the increase of the moon
the rail improves in fatness, and decreases in a considerable
degree with that planet. Sometimes I have conceited that the
remark was just. If it be a fact, I think it may be explained
on the supposition that the bird is enabled to feed at night as
well as by day while it has the benefit of the moon, and with
less interruption than at other periods.”

I have had my doubts as to the propriety of classing this
bird under the genus Rallws. Both Latham and Pennant call
it a Gallinule; and when one considers the length and forma-
tion of its bill, the propriety of their nomenclature is obvious.
As the article was commenced by our printers before I could
make up my mind on the subject, the reader is requested to
consider this species the Gallinula Carolina of Dr Latham,

246 WOODCOCK.

WOODCOCK. (Scolopax minor.)
PLATE XLVIIL—Fie. 2.

Arct. Zool. p. 463, No. 365.—Turt. Syst. 396.—Lath. Syn. iii. 131.
RUSTICOLA MINOR.—VIEIuwoT.*

Rusticola minor, Vieill. Gal. des Ois. 242.—Great Red Woodcock, Scolopax
Americana rufa, Bart. Trav. p. 292.—Scolopax rusticola minor, Bonap.
Synop. p. 331.—Monog. del Gen. Scolopax Osser. Sulla, 2d ed. del Reg. Anim.
Cur.

Tis bird, like the preceding, is universally known to our
sportsmen. It arrives in Pennsylvania early in March, some-

* Among many natural groups, such as Scolopax of Linnzeus, there
are gradations of form which have not been thought of sufficient im-
portance to constitute a genus, but have been mentioned as divisions
only. Such is the case with the present, which is generally classed
under those with the tibie feathered and the tibize bare. Vieillot,
following this division, proposed Austicola for the woodcocks, or those
with plumed tibiz ; and, as far as artificial systems are concerned, and
facility of reference, we should prefer keeping them as a sub-genus.

The woodcocks, in addition to the plumed tibiz, differ in other
respects ; and an individual, technically unacquainted with ornithology,
would at once pick them out from the snipes from a something in their
tourneur, as Mr Audubon would call it. The tarsi are much shorter,
and show that the bird is not intended to wade, or to frequent very
marshy situations, like the snipes. They are all inhabitants of woods,
and it is only during severe storms that they are constantly found near
arill or streamlet. Their food is as much found by searching under
the fallen leaves and decayed grasses as in wet places; and in this
country, where woodcocks are abundant, they may be traced through a
wood by the newly scratched-up leaves. There is a marked difference,
also, in the plumage ; it is invariably of a more sombre shade, some-
times the under parts are closely barred with a darker colour ; while,
in the snipes, the latter part is oftener pure white. We have a beautiful
connection between the divisions in the Scolopax Sabini of Vigors,*
which, though of the lesser size of the snipes, has the entire plumage of
the woodcock, and also the thighs feathered to a greater length down-
wards,

The species are few in number, amounting only to three or four.
America, Europe, and India seem as yet their only countries. The
habits of most agree, and all partially migrate from north to south to
breed.— Ep.

* Is this the Scolopax Sakhalina of Vieillot, Nouv. Dict ?—Ep.

WOODCOCK. 247

times sooner ; and I doubt not but in mild winters some few
remain with us the whole of that season. During the day they
keep to the woods and thickets, and at the approach of even-
ing seek the springs and open watery places to feed in. They
soon disperse themselves over the country to breed. About
the beginning of July, particularly in long-continued hot
weather, they descend to the marshy shores of our large rivers,
their favourite springs and watery recesses inland being chiefly
dried up. ‘To the former of these retreats they are pursued
by the merciless sportsman, flushed by dogs, and shot down
in great numbers. This species of amusement, when eagerly
followed, is still more laborious and fatiguing than that of
snipe-shooting ; and, from the nature of the ground, or cripple,
as it is usually called, viz., deep mire intersected with old logs,
which are covered and hid from sight by high reeds, weeds,
and alder bushes, the best dogs are soon tired out; and it is
customary with sportsmen who regularly pursue this diversion
- to have two sets of dogs, to relieve each other alternately.

The woodcock usually begins to lay in April. The nest is
placed on the ground, in a retired part of the woods, fre-
quently at the root of an oldstump. It 1s formed of a few
withered leaves and stalks of grass, laid with very little art.
The female lays four, sometimes five eggs, about an inch
and a half long, and an inch or rather more in diameter, taper-
ing suddenly to the small end. These are of a dun clay colour,
thickly marked with spots of brown, particularly at the great
end, and interspersed with others of a very pale purple. The
nest of the woodcock has, in several instances that have come
to my knowledge, been found with eges in February ; but its
usual time of beginning to lay is early in April. In July,
August, and September, they are considered in good order for
shooting.

The woodcock is properly a nocturnal bird, feeding chiefly
at night, and seldom stirring about till after sunset. At such
times, as well as in the early part of the morning, particularly
in spring, he rises, by a kind of spiral course, to a considerable

248 WOODCOCK.

height in the air, uttering at times a sudden quack, till, having
gained his utmost height, he hovers around in a wild irregular
manner, making a sort of murmuring sound; then descends
with rapidity as he rose. When uttering hiscommon note on
the ground, he seems to do it with difficulty, throwing his
head towards the earth, and frequently jetting up his tail.
These notes and manceuvres are most usual in spring, and
are the call of the male to his favourite female. Their food
consists of various larva, and other aquatic worms, for which,
during the evening, they are almost continually turning over
the leaves with their bill, or searching in the bogs. Their
flesh is reckoned delicious, and prized highly. They remain
with us till late in autumn, and, on the falling of the first
snows, descend from the ranges of the Alleghany to the lower
parts of the country in great numbers; soon after which, viz.,
in November, they move off to the south.

This bird, in its general figure and manners, greatly
resembles the woodcock of Europe, but is considerably less,
and very differently marked below, being an entirely distinct
species. A few traits will clearly point out their differences.
The lower parts of the European woodcock are thickly barred
with dusky waved lines, on a yellowish white ground. The
present species has those parts of a bright ferruginous. The
male of the American species weighs from five to six ounces,
the female, eight; the European, twelve. The European
woodcock makes its first appearance in Britain in October
and November, that country being in fact only its winter
quarters ; for early in March they move off to the northern
parts of the Continent to breed. ‘The American species, on
the contrary, winters in countries south of the United States,
arrives here early in March, extends its migrations as far, at
least, as the river St Lawrence, breeds in all the intermediate
places, and retires again to the south on the approach of
winter. The one migrates from the torrid to the temperate
regions, the other, from the temperate to the arctic. The two
birds, therefore, notwithstanding their names are the same,

WOODCOCK. 249

differ not only in size and markings, but also in native climate.
Hence the absurdity of those who would persuade us that
the woodcock of America crosses the Atlantic to Europe, and
vice versa. These observations have been thought necessary,
from the respectability of some of our own writers, who seem
to have adopted this opinion.

How far to the north our woodccck is found, I am unable
to say. Itis not mentioned as a bird of Hudson’s Bay, and,
being altogether unknown in the northern parts of Europe, it
is very probable that its migrations do not extend to a very
high latitude; for it may be laid down as a general rule, that
those birds which migrate to the arctic regions, in either
continent, are very often common to both. The head of the
woodcock is of singular conformation, large, somewhat trian-
cular, and the eye fixed at a remarkable distance from the bill,
and high in the head. This construction was necessary to
give a greater range of vision, and to secure the eye from
injury while the owner is searching in the mire. The flight
of the woodcock is slow. When flushed at any time in the
woods, he rises to the height of the bushes or underwood, and
almost instantly drops behind them again at a short distance,
generally running off for several yards as soon as he touches
the ground. The notion that there are two species of wood-
cock in this country probably originated from the great dif-
ference of size between the male and female, the latter being
considerably the larger.

The male woodcock is ten inches and a half long, and six-
teen inches in extent; Dill, a brownish flesh colour, black
towards the tip, the upper mandible ending in a slight knob,
that projects about one-tenth of an inch beyond the lower,*
each grooved, and in length somewhat more than two inches

* Mr Pennant (Arctic Zoology, p. 463), in describing the American
woodcock, says that the lower mandible is much shorter than the upper.
From the appearance of his figure, it is evident that the specimen from
which that and his description were taken had lost nearly half an inch
from the lower mandible, probably broken off by accident. Turton
and others have repeated this mistake.

250 WOODCOCK.

and a half; forehead, line over the eye, and whole lower
parts, reddish tawny; sides of the neck, inclining to ash ;
between the eye and bill, a slight streak of dark brown;
crown, from the forepart of the eye backwards, black, crossed
by three narrow bands of brownish white; cheeks, marked
with a bar of black, variegated with light brown; edges of
the back and of the scapulars, pale bluish white; back and
scapulars, deep black, each feather tipt or marbled with light
brown and bright ferruginous, with numerous fine zigzag lines
of black crossing the lighter parts ; quills, plain dusky brown ;
tail, black, each feather marked along the outer edge with
small spots of pale brown, and ending in narrow tips, of a pale
drab colour above, and silvery white below; lining of the
wing, bright rust ; legs and feet, a pale reddish flesh colour ;
eye, very full and black, seated high and very far back in the
head ; weight, five ounces and a half, sometimes six.

The female is twelve inches long, and eighteen in extent ;
weighs eight ounces ; and differs also in having the bill very
near three inches in length: the black on the back is not quite
so intense, and the sides under the wings are slightly barred
with dusky.

The young woodcocks of a week or ten days old are
covered with down of a brownish white colour, and are marked
from the bill along the crown to the hind head with a broad
stripe of deep brown ; another line of the same passes through
the eyes to the hindhead, curving under the eye; from the
back to the rudiments of the tail, runs another of the same
tint, and also on the sides under the wings; the throat and
breast are considerably tinged with rufous; and the quills at
this age are just bursting from their light blue sheaths, and
appear marbled, as in the old birds; the legs and bill are of a
pale purplish ash colour, the latter about an inch long. When
taken, they utter a long, clear, but feeble peep, not louder
than that of a mouse. They are far inferior to young par-
tridges in running and skulking; and, should the female
unfortunately be killed, may easily be taken on the spot.

ieee
late ae

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‘JUDSVIYT AO SNOAL) Pappy

MOST PAY ALNIONF Ue WaHED.L ET
SDT yy 4 peavwhiug 7

RUFFED GROUSE. 251

RUFFED GROUSE. (Tetrao wmbellus )
PLATE XLIX.

Arct. Zool. p. 301, No. 179.—Ruffed Heathcock or Grouse, Hdw. 248.— La Gelinote
Huppée de Pennsylvanie, Briss. i. 214, Pl. enl. 104.—Buff. ii. 281.—Phil.
Trans. 62, 393.—Turt. Syst. 454.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4702.

BONASIA UMBELLUS.—BONAPARTE.*

Tetrao umbellus, Temm. Pig. et Gall. Ind. p. 704.—Tetrao hurpecal, Temm. Pig.
et Gall. iii. p. 161.—Bonasia umbellus, Steph. Cont. Sh. Zool. xi. p. 300.—
Bonasia umbellus, Bonap. Synop. p. 126.—The Ruffed Grouse, Aud. Orn.
Biog. i. p. 211, pl. 41, male and female.

Tuts is the partridge of the eastern States, and the pheasant
of Pennsylvania and the southern districts. It is repre-
sented in the plate of its full size, and was faithfully copied
from a perfect and very beautiful specimen.

This elegant species is well known in almost every quarter
of the United States, and appears to inhabit a very extensive
range of country. It is common at Moose Fort, on Hudson’s
Bay, in lat. 51°; is frequent in the upper parts of Georgia ;
very abundant in Kentucky and the Indiana territory ; and
was found by Captains Lewis and Clarke in crossing the great
range of mountains that divide the waters of the Columbia and
Missouri, more than three thousand miles, by their measure-
ment, from the mouth of the latter. Its favourite places of
resort are high mountains, covered with the balsam pine,
hemlock, and such like evergreens. Unlike the pinnated
grouse, it always prefers the woods; is seldom or never found
in open plains; but loves the pine-sheltered declivities of
mountains near streams of water. This great difference of
disposition in two species, whose food seems to be nearly the
same, is very extraordinary. In those open plains called the
Barrens of Kentucky, the pinnated grouse was seen in great
numbers, but none of the ruffed; while in the high groves

* Bonasia is a sub-genus, formed by the Prince of Musignano for the
reception of this bird. The distinctions are, the unplumed tarsi and
toes, contrasted with Zetrao, where the former are thickly clothed.—Eb.

252 RUFFED GROUSE.

with which that singular tract of country is interspersed, the
latter, or pheasant, was frequently met with ; but not a single
individual of the former.

The native haunts of the pheasant being a cold, high,
mountainous, and woody country, it is natural to expect that,
as we descend from thence to the sea-shores, and the low, flat,
and warm climate of the southern States, these birds should
become more rare; and such indeed is the case. In the lower
parts of Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, they are very seldom
observed ; but as we advance inland to the mountains, they
again make their appearance. In the lower parts of New
Jersey, we indeed occasionally meet with them ; but this is
owing to the more northerly situation of the country ; for even
here they are far less numerous than among the mountains.

Dr Turton, and several other English writers, have spoken
of a long-tailed grouse, said to inhabit the back parts of
Virginia, which can be no other than the present species ; there
being, as far as I am acquainted, only these two, the ruffed
and pinnated grouse, found native within the United States.

The manners of the pheasant are solitary ; they are seldom
found in coveys of more than four or five together, and more
usually in pairs, or singly. They leave their sequestered
haunts in the woods early in the morning, and seek the path
or road, to pick up gravel, and glean among the droppings of
the horses. In travelling among the mountains that bound
the Susquehanna, I was always able to furnish myself with
an abundant supply of these birds every morning without
leaving the path. If the weather be foggy or lowering, they
are sure to be seen in such situations. They generally move
along with great stateliness, their broad fanlike tail spread
out in the manner exhibited in the drawing. The drumming,
as it is usually called, of the pheasant, is another singularity
of this species. This is performed by the male alone. In
walking through solitary woods frequented by these birds,
a stranger is surprised by suddenly hearing a kind of thump-
ing very similar to that produced by striking two full-blown

RUFFED GROUSE. 252

ox-bladders together, but much louder ; the strokes at first
are slow and distinct ; but gradually increase in rapidity, till
they run into each other, resembling the rumbling sound of
very distant thunder, dying away gradually on the ear. After
a few minutes’ pause, this is again repeated, and, in a calm
day, may be heard nearly half a mile off. This drumming is
most common in spring, and is the call of the cock to his
favourite female. It is produced in the following manner :—
The bird, standing on an old prostrate log, generally in a
retired and sheltered situation, lowers his wings, erects his
expanded tail, contracts his throat, elevates the two tufts of
feathers on the neck, and inflates his whole body, something
in the manner of the turkey cock, strutting and wheeling about
with great stateliness. After a few manceuvres of this kind,
he begins to strike with his stiffened wings in short and quick
strokes, which become more and more rapid until they run
into each other, as has been already described. This is most
common in the morning and evening, though I have heard
them drumming at all hours of the day. By means of this,
the gunner is led to the place of his retreat ; though, to those
unacquainted with the sound, there is great deception in the
supposed distance, it generally appearing to be much nearer
than it really is.*

* Mr Audubon confirms the correctness of Wilson’s comparison of
the drumming noise produced by this bird. He mentions having often
called them within shot by imitating the sound, which he accomplished
“by beating a large inflated bullock’s bladder with a stick, keeping up
as much as possible the same évme as that in which the bird beats. At
the sound produced by the bladder and the stick, the male grouse,
inflamed with jealousy, has flown directly towards me, when, being
prepared, I have easily shot it. An equally successful stratagem is
employed to decoy the males of our little partridge, by imitating the
call-note of the female during spring and summer ; but in no instance,
after repeated trials, have I been able to entice the pinnated grouse to
come towards me whilst imitating the booming sounds of that bird.”

Most game are very easily called by those expert at imitating sounds.
Grouse are often called by poachers, and partridges may be brought

near by a quill and horse-hair. Many of the 7ringe and Totani are easily
whistled.— Ep,

264 RUFFED GROUSE.

The pheasant begins to pair in April, and builds its nest
early in May. ‘This is placed on the ground, at the root of a
bush, old log, or other sheltered and solitary situation, well
surrounded with withered leaves. Unlike that of the quail,
it is open above, and is usually composed of dry leaves and
grass. The eggs are from nine to fifteen in number, of a
brownish white, without any spots, and nearly as large as those
of a pullet. The young leave the nest as soon as hatched, and
are directed by the cluck of the mother, very much in the
manner of the common hen. On being surprised, she exhibits
all the distress and affectionate manceuvres of the quail, and
of most other birds, to lead you away from the spot. I once
started a hen pheasant with a single young one, seemingly
only a few days old: there might have been more, but I
observed only this one. ‘The mother fluttered before me for
a moment; but, suddenly darting towards the young one,
seized it in her bill, and flew off along the surface through
the woods, with great steadiness and rapidity, till she was
beyond my sight, leaving me in great surprise at the incident.
I made a very close and active search around the spot for the
rest, but without success. Here was a striking instance of
something more than what is termed blind instinct, in this
remarkable deviation from her usual manceuvres when she
has a numerous brood. It would have been impossible for
me to have injured this affectionate mother, who had exhibited
such an example of presence of mind, reason, and sound judg-
ment, as must have convinced the most bigoted advocates of
mere instinct. ‘To carry off a whole brood in this manner at
once would have been ‘impossible, and to attempt to save one
at the expense of the rest would be unnatural. She therefore
usually takes the only possible mode of saving them in that
case, by decoying the person in pursuit of herself, by such a
natural imitation of lameness as to impose on most people.
But here, in the case of a single solitary young one, she in-
stantly altered her plan, and adopted the most simple and
effectual means for its preservation.

RUFFED GROUSE. 255

The pheasant generally springs within a few yards, with a
loud whirring noise,* and flies with great vigour through the

’ * Mr Audubon has the following observations on the flight and
whirring noise produced during it :—“‘ When this bird rises from the
ground, at a time when pursued by an enemy or tracked by a dog, it
produces a loud whirring sound, resembling that of the whole tribe,
excepting the blackcock of Europe, which has less of it than any other
species. This whirring sound is never heard when the grouse rises of
its own accord for the purpose of removing from one place to another ;
nor, in similar circumstances, is it commonly produced by our little
partridge. In fact, I do not believe that it is emitted by any species of
grouse, unless when surprised and forced to rise. I have often been
lying on the ground in the woods or the fields for hours at a time, for
the express purpose of observing the movements and habits of different
birds, and have frequently seen a partridge or a grouse rise on wing
from within a few yards of the spot in which I lay, unobserved by them,
as gently and softly as any other bird, and without producing any
whirring sound. Nor even when this grouse ascends to the top of a
tree does it make any greater noise than other birds of the same size
would do.”

The structure of the wings among all the’ Tetraonzde and Phasianide
is such as to preclude the possibility of an entirely noiseless flight when
the members are actively used ; but I have no doubt that it can be,
and is sometimes, increased. When any kind of game is suddenly
sprung or alarmed, the wings are made use of with more violence than
when the flight is fairly commenced, or a rise to the branch of a tree is
only contemplated. I have heard it produced by all our British game
to a certain extent, when flying over me perfectly unalarmed, The
noise is certainly produced by the rapid action of the wings, and I
believe the birds cannot exert that with a totally noiseless flight.
Sounds at variance from that occasioned by ordinary flight are produced
by many birds, particularly during the breeding season, when different
motions are employed ; and it appears to me to be rather a consequence
depending on the peculiar flight, than the flight employed to produce
the sound as a love or other call. Such is the booming noise produced
by snipes in spring, always accompanied by the almost imperceptible
motion of the wings in the very rapid descent of the bird. A somewhat
similar sound is produced by the lapwing when flying near her nest or
young, and is always heard during a rapid flight performed diagonally
downwards. The cock pheasant produces a loud whirr by a violent
motion of his wings after calling. A very peculiar rustling is heard
when the peacock raises his train, and the cause, a rapid, trembling
motion of the feathers, is easily perceived ; and the strut of the turkey

256 RUFFED GROUSE.

woods, beyond reach of view, before it alights. With a good
dog, however, they are easily found; and at some times
exhibit a singular degree of infatuation, by lookmg down
from the branches where they sit on the dog below, who, the
more noise he keeps up, seems the more to confuse and stupify
them, so that they may be shot down, one by one, till the
whole are killed, without attempting to fly off. In such cases,
those on the lower limbs must be taken first ; for, should the
upper ones be first killed, in their fall they alarm those below,
who immediately fly off. In deep snows they are usually
taken in traps, commonly dead traps, supported by a figure
4 trigger. At this season, when suddenly alarmed, they
frequently dive into the snow, particularly when it has newly
fallen, and coming out at a considerable distance, again take
wing. They are pretty hard to kill, and will often carry off
a large load to the distance of two hundred yards, and drop
down dead. Sometimes, in the depth of winter, they approach
the farmhouse, and lurk near the barn or about the garden.
They have also been often taken young, and tamed, so as to
associate with the fowls ; and their eggs have frequently been
hatched under the common hen; but these rarely survive
until full grown. They are exceedingly fond of the seeds of

cock is produced apparently by the rapid exertion of the muscles acting
on the roots of the quills,

Under this species may be mentioned the 7. Sabina of Douglas. It
is so very closely allied, that Dr Richardson remarks, “ After a careful
comparison of Mr Douglas’s 7. Sabiniz, deposited in the Edinburgh
Museum, they appeared to me to differ in no respect from the young of
T. umbellus.”

The characters of 7. Sabiniz, given by Mr Douglas, are—Rufus, nigro
notatus ; dorso maculis cordiformibus, nucha alisque lineis ferrugineo-
flovis; abdomine albo brunneo fasciato ; rectricibus fasciatis, fascia
subapical lata nigra.

Mr Douglas thinks that there is some difference between the specimens
of 7. umbellus killed on the Rocky Mountains and more northern parts,
from those in the States of New York and Pennsylvania, and proposes,
if they should be hereafter found distinct, that it should stand as 7.
umbellovdes.—Ep,

RUFFED GROUSE. 257

grapes; occasionally eat ants, chestnuts, blackberries, and
various vegetables. Formerly they were numerous in the
immediate vicinity of Philadelphia ; but as the woods were
cleared and population increased, they retreated to the interior.

At present there are very few to be found within several
miles of the city, and those only singly, in the most solitary
and retired woody recesses.

The pheasant is in best order for the table in September
and October. At this season they feed chiefly on whortle-
berries, and the little red aromatic partridge-berries ; the last
of which give their flesh a peculiar delicate flavour. With
the former our mountains are literally covered from August
to November, and these constitute, at that season, the greater
part of their food. During the deep snows of winter, they
have recourse to the buds of alder and the tender buds of the
laurel. I have frequently found their crops distended with a
large handful of these latter alone; and it has been confidently
asserted, that, after having fed for some time on the laurel
buds, their flesh becomes highly dangerous to eat of, partaking
of the poisonous qualities of the plant. The same has been
asserted of the flesh of the deer, when, in severe weather and
deep snows, they subsist on the leaves and bark of the laurel.
Though I have myself ate freely of the flesh of the pheasant,
after emptying it of large quantities of laurel buds, without
experiencing any bad consequences, yet, from the respec-
tability of those, some of them eminent physicians, who have
particularised cases in which it has proved deleterious, and
even fatal, I am inclined to believe that, in certain cases,
where this kind of food has been long continued, and the birds
allowed to remain undrawn for several days, until the contents
of the crop and stomach have had time to diffuse themselves
through the flesh, as is too often the case, it may be unwhole-
some, and even dangerous. Great numbers of these birds are
brought to our markets at all times during fall and winter,
some of which are brought from a distance of more than a —

hundred miles, and have been probably dead a week or two,
VOL. TI. R

258 RUFFED GROUSE.

unpicked and undrawn, before they are purchased for the table.
Regulations prohibiting them from being brought to market
unless picked and drawn would very probably be a sufficient
security from all danger. At these inclement seasons, however,
they are generally lean and dry; and, indeed, at all times
their flesh is far inferior to that of the pinnated grouse. They
are usually sold in Philadelphia market at from three-quarters
of a dollar to a dollar and a quarter a pair, and sometimes
higher.

The pheasant, or partridge, of New England, is eighteen
inches long, and twenty-three inches in extent; bill, a horn
colour, paler below; eye, reddish hazel, immediately above
which is a small spot of bare skin of a scarlet colour ; crested ;
head and neck, variegated with black, red brown, white, and
pale brown ; sides of the neck furnished with a tuft of large
black feathers, twenty-nine or thirty in number, which it
occasionally raises ; this tuft covers a large space of the neck
destitute of feathers ; body above, a bright rust colour, marked
with oval spots of yellowish white, and sprinkled with black ;
wings, plain olive brown, exteriorly edged with white, spotted
with olive; the tail is rounded, extends five inches beyond
the tips of the wings, is of a bright reddish brown, beautifully
marked with numerous waving transverse bars of black, is also
crossed by a broad band of black, within half an inch of the
tip, which is bluish white, thickly sprinkled and specked with
black ; body below, white, marked with large blotches of pale
brown ; the legs are covered half way to the feet with hairy
down of a brownish white colour; legs and feet, pale ash ;
toes, pectinated along the sides; the two exterior ones joined
at the base, as far as the first joint, by a membrane; vent,
yellowish rust colour.

The female and young birds differ in having the ruff or
tufts of feathers on the neck of a dark brown colour, as well
as the bar of black on the tail inclining’ much to the same
tint.

“rawn from Mature by A Wilson Engraved by Wit hizars

/. Great Horned Owl. 2. Barn 0. 3. Meadow Mouse. 4 Red Bat. 5. Small-headed Flycatcher. 6. Hawk Owl.
50.

GREAT HORNED OWL. 259

GREAT HORNED OWL. (Strix Virginiana.)
PLATE L.—Fic. 1.

Arct. Zool. p. 228, No. 114.—Hdw. 60.—Lath. i. 119.—Turt. Syst. p. 166.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 410.

BUBO VIRGINIAN A.—CUVIER.*

Le Grand Hibou d’Amerique, Cuv. Reg. Anim. i. p. 329.—Strix Virginiana,
Bonap. Synop. p. 37.—The Great Horned Owl, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 313,
pl. 61, male and female.—Strix (Bubo) Virginiana, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 82.

Tue figure of this bird, as well as of those represented in the
same plate, is reduced to one half its natural dimensions.

* Cuvier uses the title Bubo to distinguish those species which, as in
the genus Otus, have the tarsi feathered, and are furnished with egrets,
but have the disk surrounding the face less distinctly marked, and have
a small external conch. He assumes as the type the eagle owl of
Europe, but places the Virginian species in his genus Otus, with
the small long-eared owl of Britain: the latter has the disk very dis-
tinct, and the ears large, the characters of Otus ; but the American bird
is in every way a true Bubo, as defined by the great French naturalist.
It is a genus of very extensive geographical distribution ; individuals
exist in almost every latitude, and in the four quarters of the world.
Their abodes are the deep and interminable forests, their habits
nocturnal, though they are not so much annoyed or stupified if dis-
turbed in the day, and much more difficult to approach, earnestly
watching their pursuer.

An eagle owl in my possession remains quiet during the day, unless
he is shown some prey, when he becomes eager to possess it, and when
it is put within his reach, at once clutches it, and retires to a corner to
devour itatleisure. During night heis extremely active, and sometimes
keeps up an incessant bark. It is so similar to that of a cur or terrier
as to annoy a large Labrador house-dog, who expressed his dissatisfac-
tion by replying to him, and disturbing the inmates nightly. I at first
mistook the cry also for that of a dog, and, without any recollection of
the owl, sallied forth to destroy this disturber of our repose ; and it was
not until tracing the sound to the cage, that I became satisfied of the
author of the annoyance. I have remarked that he barks more inces-
santly during a clear winter night than at any other time, and the thin
air at that season makes the cry very distinctly heard to a considerable
distance. This bird also shows a great antipathy to dogs, and will per-
ceive one at a considerable distance, nor is it possible to distract his

2600 GREAT HORNED OWL.

By the same scale the greater part of the hawks and owls of
the present volume are drawn, their real magnitude render-
ing this unavoidable.

attention so long as the animal remains in sight. When first perceived,
the feathers are raised and the wings lowered as when feeding, and the
head moved round, following the object while in sight : if food is thrown,
it will be struck with the foot and held, but no further attention paid
to it.

The Virginian owl seems to be very extensively distributed over
America, is tolerably common over every part of the continent, and Mr
Swainson has seen specimens from the tableland of Mexico. The
southern specimens present only a brighter colouring in the rufous parts
of the plumage.

According to all authorities, owls have been regarded as objects of
superstition ; and this has sometimes been taken advantage of by the
well-informed for purposes far from what ought to be the duty of a
better education to inculcate, None are more accessible to such super-
stitions than the primitive natives of Ireland and the north of Scotland.
Dr Richardson thus relates an instance, which came to his own know-
ledge, of the consequences arising from a visit of this nocturnal wanderer,

“A party of Scottish Highlanders, in the service of the Hudson’s
Bay Company, happened, in a winter journey, to encamp after nightfall
in a dense clump of trees, whose dark tops and lofty stems, the growth
of more than one century, gave a solemnity to the scene that strongly
tended to excite the superstitious feelings of the Highlanders. The
effect was heightened by the discovery of a tomb, which, with a natural
taste often exhibited by the Indians, had been placed in this secluded
spot. Our travellers having finished their supper, were trimming their
fire preparatory to retiring to rest, when the slow and dismal notes of
the horned owl fell on the ear with a startling nearness. None of them
being acquainted with the sound, they at once concluded that so
unearthly a voice must be the moaning of the spirit of the departed,
whose repose they supposed they had disturbed by inadvertently
making a fire of some of the wood of which his tomb had been con-
structed. They passed a tedious night of fear, and, with the first dawn
of day, hastily quitted the ill-omened spot.”

In India there is a large owl, known by the native name of Googoo,
or Ooloo, which, according to some interesting notices, accompanying a
large box of birds sent to Mr Selby from the vicinity of Hyderabad, is
held as an object of both fear and veneration. “If an Ooloo should
alight on the house of a Hindoo, he would leave it immediately, take
the thatch off, and put fresh on. The eyes and brain are considered an
infallible cure for fits in children, and both are often given to women

GREAT HORNED OWL. 261

This noted and formidable owl is found in almost every
quarter of the United States. His favourite residence, how-

in labour. The flesh, bones, &c., boiled down to a jelly, are used to
cure spasms or rheumatism. Somme of the fat, given to a child newly
born, averts misfortune from him for life.” indenendone of these, says
our correspondent, “ there are innumerable superstitions regarding this
bird, and a native will always kill one when he has an opportunity.

We must mention here a very beautiful species, which is certainly
first accurately described in the second volume of the “Northern
Zoology,” though Wilson appears to have had some information regard-
ing a large white owl ; and Dr Richardson is of opinion that the Strix
Scandiaca of Linneeus, if not actually the species, at least resembles it.
It is characterised and figured by the northern travellers under the
name of Bubo Arctica, arctic or white-horned owl; and we add the
greater part of their description.

“This very beautiful owl appears to be rare, only one specimen
having been seen by the members of the expedition. It was observed
flying, at mid-day, in the immediate vicinity of Carlton House, and
was Tenor down with an arrow by an Indian boy. I obtained no
information respecting its habits.

“The facial disk is very imperfect ; the ears, small, and without an
operculum, as in Strix Virginiana; the ear-feathers, ample ; but the
disk even smaller than in the last-mentioned bird, and the tarsi some-
what longer. The toes are similarly connected. The tail is of mode-
rate length, and considerably rounded. The bill is strong, and rather
short.

“* Description.—Colour of the bill and claws, bluish black. Irides,
yellow. The face is white, bounded posteriorly by blackish brown,
succeeded by white, which two latter colours are continued in a mixed
band across the throat, LEgrets, coloured at the base, like the adjoining
plumage ; the longer feathers tipped with blackish brown, their inner
webs, white, varied with wood brown. The whole dorsal aspect is
marked with undulated lines, or fine bars, of umber brown, alternating
with white ; the markings bearing some resemblance to those of the
Virginian owl, but being much more lively and handsome. On the
greater wing-coverts, on the inner half of the scapularies, and also
partially on the neck and lesser wing-coverts, the white is tinged or
replaced by pale wood brown. The primaries and secondaries are wood
brown, with a considerable portion of white along the margins of their
inner webs. They are crossed by from five to six distant umber brown
bars on both webs, the intervening spaces being finely speckled with
the same. Near the tips of the primaries, the fine sprinkling of the
dark colour nearly obscures the wood brown. On the tertiaries, the

262 GREAT HORNED OWL.

ever, is in the dark solitudes of deep swamps, covered with a
crowth of gigantic timber; and here, as soon as evening draws

wood brown is mostly replaced by white. The tail-feathers are white,
deeply tinged on their inner webs by wood brown, and crossed by six
bars of umber brown, about half as broad as the intervening spaces ;
their tips are white.

“ Under surface.—Chin, white. Throat, crossed by the band above
mentioned, behind which there is a large space of pure snow white, that
is bounded on the breast by blotches of liver brown, situated on the
tips of the feathers. The belly and long plumage of the flanks are
white, crossed by narrow, regular bars of dark brown. The vent-
feathers, under tail-coverts, thighs, and feet, are pure white. The
linings of the wings are also white, with the exception of a brown spot
on the tips of the greater interior coverts.”

Audubon has the following remarks on their incubation, which are
somewhat at variance with Wilson. It would also appear that this bird
makes love during the day :—

“Early in February, the great horned owls are seen to pair. The
curious evolutions of the male in the air, or his motions when he has
alighted near his beloved, it is impossible to describe. His bowings,
and the snappings of his bill, are extremely ludicrous ; and no sooner
is the female assured that the attentions paid her by the beau are the
result of a sincere affection, than she joins in the motions of her future
mate.

“The nest, which is very bulky, is usually fixed on a large horizontal
branch, not far from the trunk of the tree, It is composed externally
of crooked sticks, and is lined with coarse grasses and some feathers,
The whole measures nearly three feet in diameter. The eggs, which
are from three to six, are almost globular in form, and of a dull white
colour. The male assists the female in sitting on the eggs. Only one
brood is raised in the season. The young remain in the nest until fully
fledged, and afterwards follow the parents for a considerable time, utter-
ing a mournful sound, to induce them to supply them with food.
They acquire the full plumage of the old birds in the first spring, and
until then are considerably lighter, with more dull buff in their tints,
I have found nests belonging to this species in large hollows of decayed
trees, and twice in the fissures of rocks. In all these cases, little pre-
paration had been made previous to the laying of the eggs, as I found
only a few grasses and feathers placed under them.

“The great horned owl lives retired, and it is seldom that more than
one is found in the neighbourhood of a farm after the breeding season ;
but as almost every detached farm is visited by one of these dangerous
and powerful marauders, it may be said to be abundant. The havoc

GREAT HORNED OWL, 263

on, and mankind retire to rest, he sends forth such sounds as
seem scarcely to belong to this world, startling the solitary
pilgrim as he slumbers by his forest fire—

Making night hideous.

Along the mountainous shores of the Ohio, and amidst the
deep forests of Indiana, alone, and reposing in the woods, this
ghostly watchman has frequently warned me of the approach
of morning, and amused me with his singular exclamations,
sometimes sweeping down and around my fire, uttering a loud
and sudden Waugh O! Waugh O! sufficient to have alarmed
a whole garrison. He has other nocturnal solos, no less
melodious, one of which very strikingly resembles the half-
suppressed screams of a person suffocating or throttled, and
cannot fail of being exceedingly entertaining to a lonely be-
nighted traveller, in the midst of an Indian wilderness !

This species inhabits the country round Hudson’s Bay ; and,
according to Pennant, who considers it a mere variety of the
eagle owl (Strix bubo) of Europe, is found in Kamtschatka ;
extends even to the arctic regions, where it is often found
white, and occurs as low as Astrakan. It has also been seen
white in the United States, but this has doubtless been owing
to disease or natural defect, and not to climate. It preys on

which it commits is very great. I have known a plantation almost
stripped of the whole of the poultry raised upon it during spring by
one of these daring foes of the feathered race in the course of the
ensuing winter.

“This species is very powerful, and equally spirited. It attacks wild
turkeys when half grown, and often masters them. Mallards, guinea-
fowls, and common barn fowls prove an easy prey; and on seizing
them, it carries them off in its talons from the farmyards to the interior
of the woods. When wounded, it exhibits a revengeful tenacity of
spirit, scarcely surpassed by any of the noblest of the eagle tribe, dis-
daining to scramble away like the barred owl, but facing its enemy
with undaunted courage, protruding its powerful talons and snapping
its bill as long as he continues in its presence. On these occasions, its
large goggle eyes are seen to open and close in quick succession, and the
feathers of its body, being raised, swell out its apparent bulk to nearly
double the natural size.”—Ep.

264. GREAT HORNED OWL.

young rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, partridges, and small birds
of various kinds. It has been often known to prowl about the
farmhouse, and carry off chickens from roost. <A very large
one, wing-broken while on a foraging excursion of this kind,
was kept about the house for several days, and at length
disappeared, no one knew how. Almost every day after this,
hens and chickens also disappeared, one by one, in an unac-
countable manner, till, in eight or ten days, very few were
left remaining. ‘The fox, the minx, and weasel were alter-
nately the reputed authors of this mischief, until one morning,
the old lady herself, rising before day to bake, in passing
towards the oven, surprised her late prisoner, the owl, regaling
himself on the body of a newly-killed hen! The thief instantly
made for his hole under the house, from whence the enraged
matron soon dislodged him with the brush handle, and without
mercy despatched him. In this snug retreat were found the
greater part of the feathers, and many large. fragments, of her
whole family of chickens.

There is something in the character of the owl so recluse,
solitary, and mysterious, something so discordant in the tones
of its voice, heard only amid the silence and gloom of night,
and in the most lonely and sequestered situations, as to have
strongly impressed the minds of mankind in general with
sensations of awe and abhorrence of the whole tribe. ‘The
poets have indulged freely in this general prejudice ; and in
their descriptions and delineations of midnight storms and
gloomy scenes of nature, the owl is generally introduced to
heighten the horror of the picture. Ignorance and superstition,
in all ages and in all countries, listen to the voice of the owl,
and even contemplate its physiognomy with feelings of disgust,
and a kind of fearful awe. The priests or conjurors among
some of our Indian nations have taken advantage of the
reverential horror for this bird, and have adopted the great
horned owl, the subject of the present account, as the symbol
or emblem of their office. “Among the Creeks,’ says Mr
Bartram, in his Travels, p. 504, “ the junior priests or students

GREAT HORNED OWL. 265

constantly wear a white mantle, and have a great owl skin
cased and stuffed very ingeniously, so well executed as almost
to appear like the living bird, having large sparkling glass
beads or buttons fixed in the head for eyes. This insignia
of wisdom and divination they wear sometimes as a crest on
the top of the head, at other times the image sits on the arm,
or is borne on the hand. ‘hese bachelors are also distinguished
from the other people by their taciturnity, grave and solemn
countenance, dignified step, and singing to themselves songs
or hymns in a low, sweet voice, as they stroll about the town.

Nothing is a more effectual cure for superstition than a
knowledge of the general laws and productions of nature, nor
more forcibly leads our reflections to the first, great, self-
existent Cause of all, to whom our reverential awe is then
humbly devoted, and not to any of His dependent creatures.
With all the gloomy habits and ungracious tones of the owl,
there is nothing in this bird supernatural or mysterious, or
more than that of a simple bird of prey, formed for feeding by
night, like many other animals, and of reposing by day. The
harshness of its voice, occasioned by the width and capacity of
its throat, may be intended by Heaven as an alarm and warning
to the birds and animals on which it preys to secure themselves
from danger. ‘The voices of all carnivorous birds and animals
are also observed to be harsh and hideous, probably for this
very purpose.

The great horned owl is not migratory, but remains with
us the whole year. During the day he slumbers in the thick
evergreens of deep swamps, or seeks shelter in large hollow
trees. He is very rarely seen abroad by day, and never but
when disturbed. In the month of May they usually begin to
build. The nest is generally placed in the fork of a tall tree,
and is constructed of sticks piled in considerable quantities,
lined with dry leaves and a few feathers. Sometimes they
choose a hollow tree ; and in that case carry in but few mate-
rials. The female lays four eggs, nearly as large as those of
a hen, almost globular, and of a pure white. In one of these

266 GREAT HORNED OWL.

nests, after the young had flown, were found the heads and
bones of two chickens, the legs and head of the golden-winged
woodpecker, and part of the wings and feathers of several
other birds. It is generally conjectured that they hatch but
once in the season.

The length of the male of this species is twenty inches ; the
bill is large, black, and strong, covered at the base with a cere ;
the eyes, golden yellow ; the horns are three inches in length,
and very broad, consisting of twelve or fourteen feathers, their
webs black, broadly edged with bright tawny ; face, rusty,
bounded on each side by a band of black ; space between the
eyes and bill, whitish ; whole lower parts elegantly marked
with numerous transverse bars of dusky on a bright tawny
ground, thinly interspersed with white; vent, pale yellow
ochre, barred with narrow lines of brown; legs and feet large,
and covered with feathers or hairy down of a pale brown
colour; claws, very large, blue black; tail, rounded, extending
about an inch beyond the tips of the wings, crossed with six
or seven narrow bars of brown, and variegated or marbled
with brown and tawny; whole upper parts finely pencilled
with dusky, on a tawny and whitish ground ; chin, pure white,
under that a band of brown, succeeded by another narrow one
of white ; eyes, very large.

The female is full two feet in length, and has not the white
on the throat so pure. She has also less of the bright ferru-
ginous or tawny tint below; but is principally distinguished
by her superior magnitude.

WHITE OR BARN OWL. 267

WHITE OR BARN OWL. § (Strix jlammea.)
PLATE L.—Fie. 2.

Lath. i. 138.—Arct. Zool. p. 235, No. 124.—Phil. Trans. iti. 138.—L’Effraie,
ou la Fresaie, Buff. i. 366, pl. 26, Pl. enl. 440.—Bewick’s Brit. Birds, i. p. 89.
—Common Owl, Turt. Syst. p. 170.—Peale’s Museum, No. 486.

ULULA FLAMM#A.—CvUvIER.*
Strix flammea, Bonap. Synop. p. 38.

THis owl, though so common in Hurope, is much rarer in
this part of the United States than the preceding, and is only

* From the authority of most writers, this owl is common to both
continents. 'Temminck says those from America are exactly the same.
I have not personally had an opportunity of comparing them.

In all true night-feeding birds, or those that require to steal upon their
prey unobserved, the general plumage is formed for a light, smooth,
and noiseless flight ; but the members are not adapted for great swiftness,
or for seizing their prey by quick and sudden evolutions, The form
is comparatively light, as far as the necessary requisites for sufficient
strength can be combined with it; and the plumage being ample and
loose, assists by its buoyancy, and does not offer the same resistance to
the air as one of a stiff and rigid texture. The wings, the great organs
of locomotion, and which, in flight, produce the most noise, are rounded,
having the webs of the feathers very broad, calculated for a power-
ful and sustaining flight ; and the mechanism of the feathers at once
bespeaks an intention to destroy the sound produced by motion. In
all those birds which perform very swift and rapid flights—the falcons,
for instance, swifts, or swallows, many of the sea-fowl, the frigate bird
—the wings are very pointed (a contrariety of form to the Strigide),
with the plumules very closely united, and locked together, so as to
form almost a thin or solid sip. These produce more resistance, and
act as a strong propelling medium when vigorously used. In the owls,
the wings present a larger surface, but are not so capable of swift motion ;

.and to prevent the noise which would necessarily be produced by the
violent percussion of so great an expanse, the webs are entirely detached
at the tips, and the plumules of the inner ones being drawn to a fine
point, thus offer a free passage to the air, and a gradual diminution of
resistance. As a further proof that this structure is so intended, we find
it to a much less extent in those species that feed occasionally during the
day, and we have also the narrowing and accumination of the wings,
denoting superior flight ; while, in some, there is a still greater digression
in the elongated tail.—Eb.

268 WHITE, OR BARN OWL.

found here during very severe winters. This may possibly be
owing to the want of those favourite recesses in this part of
the world which it so much affects in the eastern continent.
The multitudes of old ruined castles, towers, monasteries, and
cathedrals, that everywhere rise to view in those countries, are
the chosen haunts of this well-known species. Its savage cries
at night give, with vulgar minds, a cast of supernatural horror
to those venerable mouldering piles of antiquity. This species,
being common to both continents, doubtless extends to the
arctic regions. It also inhabits Tartary, where, according to
Pennant, “The Monguls and natives almost pay it divine
honours, because they attribute to this species the preservation
of the founder of their empire, Ginghis Khan. ‘That prince,
with his small army, happened to be surprised and put to
flight by his enemies, and forced to conceal himself in a little
coppice ; an owl settled on the bush under which he was hid,
and induced his pursuers not to search there, as they thought
it impossible that any man could be concealed ina place where
that bird would perch. From thenceforth they held it to be
sacred, and every one wore a plume of the feathers of this
species on his head. ‘To this day the Kalmucs continue the
custom on all great festivals; and some tribes have an idol in
form of au owl, to which they fasten the real lees of one.” *

This species is rarely found in Pennsylvania in summer.
Of its place and manner of building, I am unable, from my
own observation, to speak. ‘The bird itself has been several
times found in the hollow of a tree, and was once caught in a
barn in my neighbourhood. European writers inform us that
it makes no nest, but deposits its eggs in the holes of walls,
and lays five or six, of a whitish colour ; it is said to feed on
mice and small birds, which, like the most of its tribe, it
swallows whole, and afterwards emits the bones, feathers, and
other indigestible parts, at its mouth, in the form of small
round cakes, which are often found in the empty buildings it
frequents. During its repose it is said to make a blowing
noise resembling the snoring of a man.t

* Arctic Zoology, p. 235. + Bewick, i. p. 90.

WHITE OR BARN OWL. 269

It is distinguished in England by various names, the barn
owl, the church owl, gillihowlet and screech owl. In the
Lowlands of Scotland it is universally called the hoolet.

The white or barn owl is fourteen inches long, and upwards
of three feet six inches in extent; bill, a whitish horn colour,
longer than is usual among its tribe ; space surrounding each
eye remarkably concave, the radiating feathers meeting in a
high projecting ridge, arching from the bill upwards; between
these lies a thick tuft of bright tawny feathers, that are scarcely
seen unless the ridges be separated ; face, white, surrounded
by a border of narrow, thick-set, velvety feathers, of a reddish
cream colour at the tip, pure silvery white below, and finely
shafted with black ; whole upper parts, a bright tawny yellow,
thickly sprinkled with whitish and pale purple, and beautifully
interspersed with larger drops of white, each feather of the
back and wing-coverts ending in an oblong spot. of white,
bounded by black; head, large, tumid ; sides of the neck, pale
yellow ochre, thinly sprinkled with small touches of dusky ;
primaries and secondaries the same, thinly barred, and thickly
sprinkled with dull purplish brown ; tail, two inches shorter
than the tips of the wings, even, or very slightly forked, pale
yellowish, crossed with five bars of brown, and thickly dotted
with the same; whole lower parts, pure white, thinly inter-
spersed with small round spots of blackish ; thighs, the same ;
legs, long, thinly covered with short white down nearly to the
feet, which are of a dirty white, and thickly warted ; toes,
thinly clad with white hairs; legs and feet large and clumsy ;
the ridge, or shoulder of the wing, is tinged with bright orange
brown. ‘The aged bird is more white; in some, the spots of
black on the breast are wanting, and the colour below a pale
yellow ; in others, a pure white,

The female measures fifteen inches and a half in length,
and three feet eight inches in extent ; is much darker above;
the lower parts tinged with tawny, and marked also with
round spots of black. One of these was lately sent me, which
was shot on the border of the meadows below Philadelphia.

270 WHITE Ok BARN OWL.

Its stomach contained the mangled carcasses of four large
meadow mice, hair, bones, and all. The common practice of
most owls is, after breaking the bones, to swallow the mouse
entire; the bones, hair, and other indigestible parts, are after-
wards discharged from the mouth in large roundish dry balls,
that are frequently met with in such places as these birds
usually haunt.

As the meadow mouse is so eagerly sought after by those
birds, and also by great numbers of hawks, which regularly,
at the commencement of winter, resort to the meadows below
Philadelphia, and to the marshes along the sea-shore, for the
purpose of feeding on these little animals, some account of
them may not be improper in this place. Fig. 3 represents
the meadow mouse drawn by the same scale, viz., reduced to
one half its natural dimensions. This species appears not to
have been taken notice of by Turton in the latest edition
of his translation of Linneus. From the nose to the insertion
of the tail, it measures four inches ; the tail is between three-
quarters and an inch long, hairy, and usually curves up-
wards ; the fore feet are short, five-toed, the inner toe very
short, but furnished with a claw; hind feet also five-toed ; the
ears are shorter than the fur, through which, though large,
they are scarcely noticeable; the nose is blunt ; the colour of
the back is dark brown, that of the belly, hoary ; the fur is
long, and extremely fine; the hind feet are placed very far
back, and are also short ; the eyes exceeding small. This mis-
chievous creature is a great pest to the meadows, burrowing
in them in every direction ; but is particularly injurious to
the embankments raised along the river, perforating them in
numerous directions, and admitting the water, which afterwards
effects dangerous breaches, inundating large extents of these
low grounds,—and thus they become the instruments of their
own destruction. In their general figure they bear great
resemblance to the common musk rat, and, like them, swim
and dive well. They feed on the bulbous roots of plants, and
also on garlic, of which they are remarkably fond.

SMALL-HEADED FLYCATCHER. 271

Another favourite prey of most of our owls is the bat, one
species of which is represented at fig. 4, as it hung during the
day in the woods where I found it. This also appears to be a
nondescript. The length of this bat, from the nose to the tip
of the tail, is four inches ; the tail itself is as long as the body,
but generally curls up inwards ; the general colour is a bright
iron gray, the fur being of a reddish cream at bottom, then
strongly tinged with lake, and minutely tipt with white; the
ears are scarcely half an inch long, with two slight valves ; the
nostrils are somewhat tubular; fore teeth, in the upper jaw
none, in the lower four, not reckoning the tusks ; the eyes are
very small black points; the chin, upper part of the breast,
and head, are of a pale reddish cream colour ; the wings have
a single hook or claw each, and are so constructed that the
animal may hang either with its head or tail downward. I
have several times found two hanging fast locked together be-
hind a leaf, the hook of one fixed in the mouth of the other ;
the hind feet are furnished with five toes, sharp-clawed ; the
membrane of the wings is dusky, shafts, light brown ; extent,
twelve inches. Ina cave, not far from Carlisle, in Pennsyl-
vania, I found a number of these bats in the depth of winter,
in very severe weather: they were lying on the projecting
shelves of the rocks, and when the brand of fire was held near
them, wrinkled up their mouths, showing their teeth ; when
held in the hand for a short time; they became active, and,
after being carried into a stove room, flew about as lively as
ever.

SMALL-HEADED FLYCATCHER. (Muscicapa minuta.)
PLATE L.—Fre. 5.

SYLVICOLA ? MINUTA.—JaARDINE.
Sylvia minuta, Bonap. Synop. p. 86.

THis very rare species is the only one I have met with, and is
reduced to half its size, 1o correspond with the rest of the

272 SMALL-HEADED FLYCATCHER.

figures on the same plate. It was shot on the 24th of April,
in an orchard, and was remarkably active, running, climbing,
and darting about among the opening buds and blossoms with
extraordinary agility. From what quarter of the United
States or of North America it is a wanderer, I am unable
to determine, having never before met with an individual of
the species. Its notes and manner of breeding are also alike
unknown to me. This was a male: it measured five inches
long, and eight and a quarter in extent ; the upper parts were
dull yellow olive ; the wings, dusky brown, edged with lighter ;
the greater and lesser coverts, tipt with white; the lower
parts, dirty white, stained with dull yellow, particularly on
the upper parts of the breast ; the tail, dusky brown, the two
exterior feathers, marked, like those of many others, with a
spot of white on the inner vanes; head, remarkably small ;
bill, broad at the base, furnished with bristles, and notched
near the tip; legs, dark brown; feet, yellowish ; eye, dark
hazel.

Since writing the above, I have shot several individuals of
this species in various quarters of New Jersey, particularly in
swamps: they all appear to be nearly alike in plumage.
Having found them there in June, there is no doubt of their
breeding in that State, and probably in such situations far to
the southward ; for many of the southern summer birds that
rarely visit Pennsylvania are yet common to the swamps and
pine woods of New Jersey. Similarity of soil and situation,
of plants and trees, and consequently of fruits, seeds, and
insects, &c., are, doubtless, their inducements. The summer
red bird, great Carolina wren, pine-creeping warbler, and
many others, are rarely seen in Pennsylvania, or to the
northward, though they are common in many parts of West
Jersey.

HAWK OWL. 278

HAWK OWL. (Strix Hudsonia.)

PLATE L.—Fic. 6.

Little Hawk Owl, Edw. 62.—Lath. i. 142, No. 29.—Phil. Trans. 61, 385.—Le
Chat-huant de Canada, Briss. i. 518.—Buff. i. 391. —Chouette & longue queue
de Siberie, Pl. enl. 463.—Arct. Zool. p. 234, No. 123.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 500.

SURNIA FUNEREA. —DUMERIL.*

Strix (sub-genus Surnia) funerea, Bonap. Synop. p. 35.—Strix funerea, Temm.
Man. i. p. 86.—Worth. Zool. ii. p. 92.

Tuts is another inhabitant of both continents, a kind of equi-
vocal species, or rather a connecting link between the hawk
and owl tribes, resembling the latter in the feet, and in the
radiating feathers round the eye and bill; but approaching
nearer to the former in the smallness of its head, narrowness of
its face, and in its length of tail. In short, it seems just’such
a figure as one would expect to see generated between a hawk
and an owl of the same size, were it possible for them to
produce, and yet is as distinct, independent, and original a
species as any other. he figure on the plate is reduced to
one half the size of life. It has also another strong trait of
the hawk tribe,—in flying and preying by day, contrary to
the general habit of owls. It is characterised as a bold and
active species, following the fowler, and carrying off his game
as soon as it is shot. It is said to prey on partridges and
other birds; and is very common at Hudson’s Bay, where it is
called by the Indians coparacoch.t We are also informed

* Jn this we have the true form of a diurnal owl. The head is com-
paratively small; facial disk, imperfect ; the ears hardly larger than in
birds of prey, and not operculated ; the wings and tail more hawk-like,
the former, as Wilson observes, with the webs scarcely divided at the
tips. Flies by day, and, according to Dr Richardson, preys during
winter on ptarmigan, which it constantly attends in their spring mi-
grations northward, and is even so bold, on a bird being killed by the
hunters, as to pounce down upon it, though it may be unable, from its
size, to carry it off.—Ep.

+ Edwards.

VOL. I. s

274 HAWK OWL.

that this same species inhabits Denmark and Sweden, is fre-
quent in all Siberia, and on the west side of the Uralian chain
as far as Casan and the Volga; but not in Russia.* It was
also seen by the navigators near Sandwich Sound, in lat. 61
deg. north.

This species is very rare in Pennsylvania and the more
southern parts of the United States. Its favourite range seems
to be along the borders of the arctic regions, making occa-
sional excursions southwardly when compelled by severity of
weather, and consequent scarcity of food. I some time ago
received a drawing of this bird from the district of Maine,
where it was considered rare: that, and the specimen from
which the drawing in the plate was taken, which was shot in
the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, are the only two that have
come under my notice. These having luckily happened to
be male and female, have enabled me to give a description
of both. Of their nest or manner of breeding we have
no account.

The male of this species is fifteen inches long; the bill,
orange yellow, and almost hid among the feathers; plumage
of the chin, curving up over the under mandible ; eyes, bright
orange ; head, small; face, narrow, and with very little con-
cavity; cheeks, white; crown and hind head, dusky black,
thickly marked with round spots of white; sides of the neck,
marked with a large curving streak of brown black, with
another a little behind it of a triangular form ; back, scapulars,
rump, and tail-coverts, brown olive, thickly speckled with
broad spots of white; the tail extends three inches beyond
the tips of the wings, is of a brown olive colour, and crossed
with six or seven narrow bars of white, rounded at the end,
and also tipt with white; the breast and chin are marked with
a large spot of brown olive; upper part of the breast, light ;
lower, and all the parts below, elegantly barred with dark
brown and white; legs and feet, covered to and beyond the
claws with long whitish plumage, slightly yellow, and barred

* Pennant.

MARSH HAWK. 275

with fine lines of olive; claws, horn colour. The weight of
this bird was twelve ounces.

The female is much darker above ; the quills are nearly
black; and the upper part of the breast is blotched with deep
blackish brown.

It is worthy of remark, that, in all owls that fly by night,
the exterior edges and sides of the wing-quills are slightly
recurved, and end in fine hairs or points; by which means
the bird is enabled to pass through the air with the greatest
silence, a provision necessary for enabling it the better to
surprise its prey. In the hawk owl now before us, which
flies by day, and to whom this contrivance would be of no
consequence, it is accordingly omitted, or at least is scarcely
observable. So judicious, so wise, and perfectly applicable
are all the dispositions of the Creator !

MARSH HAWK. (Falco uliginosus.)

PLATE LI.—Fie. 2.
Edw. iv. 291.—Lath. i. 90.—Arct. Zool. p. 208, No. 105.—Bartram, p. 290.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 318.

CIRCUS CYAN EUS.—BECHSTEIN .*

Falco (sub-genus Circus), Bonap. Synop. p. 33.—Buteo (Circus) cyaneus? var.
Americanus, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 55.

A DRAWING of this hawk was transmitted to Mr Edwards,
more than fifty years ago, by Mr William Bartram, and
engraved in plate 291 of Edwards’ ‘‘ Ornithology.” At that
time, and I believe till now, it has been considered as a species
peculiar to this country.

I have examined various individuals of this hawk, both in
summer and in the depth of winter, and find them to corre-
spond so nearly with the ring-tail of Hurope, that I have no
doubt of their being the same species.

This hawk is most numerous where there are extensive

* See note in Vol. III. accompanying description of the male-—Ep.

276 MARSH HAWK.

meadows and salt marshes, over which it sails very low,
making frequent circuitous sweeps over the same ground, in
search of a species of mouse, figured in plate 50, and very
abundant in such situations. It occasionally flaps the wings,
but is most commonly seen sailing about within a few feet of
the surface.. They are usually known by the name of the mouse
hawk along the sea-coast of New Jersey, where they are very
common. Several were also brought me last winter from the
meadows below Philadelphia. Having never seen its nest, I
am unable to describe it from my own observation. It is said
by European writers to build on the ground, or on low limbs
of trees. Mr Pennant observes that it sometimes changes to
a rust-coloured variety, except on the rump and tail. It is
found, as was to be expected, at Hudson’s Bay, being native
in both this latitude and that of Britain. Weare also informed
that it is common in the open and temperate parts of Russfa
and Siberia; and extends as far as Lake Baikal, though it is
said not to be found in the north of Europe.*

The marsh hawk is twenty-one inches long, and three feet
eleven inches in extent; cere and legs, yellow, the former
tinged with green, the latter long and slender ; nostril, large,
triangular ; this and the base of the bill thickly covered with
strong curving hairs, that rise from the space between the eye
and bill, arching over the base of the bill and cere; this is a
particular characteristic ; bill, blue, black at the end; eye,
dark hazel ; cartilage overhanging the eye, and also the eyelid,
bluish green ; spot under the eye, and line from the front over
it, brownish white ; head above and back, dark glossy chocolate
brown, the former slightly seamed with bright ferruginous ;
scapulars, spotted with the same wnder the surface; lesser
coverts and band of the wing, here and there edged with the
same ; greater coverts and primaries, tipt with whitish ; quills,
deep brown at the extreme half, some of the outer ones hoary
on the exterior edge ; all the primaries, yellowish white on
the inner vanes and upper half, also barred on the inner vanes

* Pallas, as quoted by Pennant.

MARSH HAWK. 277

with black; tail, long, extending three inches beyond the
wings, rounded at the end, and of a pale sorrel colour, crossed
by four broad bars of very dark brown, the two middle feathers
excepted, which are barred with deep and lighter shades of
chocolate brown; chin, pale ferruginous; round the neck, a
collar of bright rust colour ; breast, belly, and vent, pale rust,
shafted with brown; femorals, long, tapering, and of the same
pale rust tint; legs, feathered near an inch below the knee.
This was a female. The male differs chiefly in being rather
lighter and somewhat less.

This hawk is particularly serviceable to the rice-fields of
the southern States, by the havoc it makes among the clouds
of rice buntings that spread such devastation among that
grain in its early stage. As it sails low and swiftly over the
surface of the field, it keeps the flocks in perpetual fluctua-
tion, and greatly interrupts their depredations. 'The planters
consider one marsh hawk to be equal to several negroes for
alarming the rice-birds. Formerly the marsh hawk used
to be numerous along the Schuylkill and Delaware, during the
time the reeds were ripening, and the reed-birds abundant ;
but they have of late years become less numerous here.

Mr Pennant considers the “ strong, thick, and short legs”
of this species as specific distinctions from the ring-tailed
hawk ; the legs, however, are long and slender ; and a marsh
hawk such as he has described, with strong, thick, and short
legs, is nowhere to be found in the United States.

;
'

278 SWALLOW-TAILED HAWK.

SWALLOW-TAILED HAWK. (Falco furcatus.)
PLATE LI.—Fie. 3.

Linn. Syst. 129.—Lath. i. 60.—Hirundo maxima Peruviana avis predatoris calca-
ribus instructa, Feuillee, Voy. Peru, tom. ii. 33.—Catesb. i. 4.—Le Milan de
la Caroline, Briss. i. 418. —Buff. i. 221.—Turt. Syst. 149.—Arct. Zool. p. 210,
No. 108.—Peale’s Museum, No. 142.

ELANUS FURCATUS.—Savieny.*

Le Milan de Caroline, Cuv. Reg. Anim. i. p. 322.—Elanus furcatus, Bonap. Synop.
p. 31.—Nauclerus furcatus, Vig. Zool. Journ. No. vii. p. 387.—Less. Man.
d Ornith. i. p. 101.—The Swallow-tailed Hawk, Aud. pl. 72; Orn. Biog. i.
p. 368.

Tis very elegant species inhabits the southern districts of
the United States in summer; is seldom seen as far north as
Pennsylvania, but is very abundant in South Carolina and

* The characters of the birds composing this genus are,—general
form of less strength than most of the Falconide ; bill, rather weak ;
tooth, little seen ; the tarsi, short, thick, reticulated, and partly
feathered in front ; wings, greatly elongated ; timorous, and, like the
kites, excel in flight, circling in the air. Mr Vigors has formed a genus, *
Nauclerus, of this and a small African species, dividing them from
ELlanus, where they were placed by most prior ornithologists. In these
two birds the tail is forked to a great extent, while in the others it
only commences to assume that form, and in one is altogether square.
The claws, also are not circular underneath, as in the others, to which
Mr Vigors would restrict Hlanus. The wings of the two birds, how-
ever, show considerable difference ; the quills, in the American, being
abruptly emarginated, the third longest ; in the African, the second is
longest, and only a slight emargination on the two first. Altogether
we are not quite satisfied with the distinctions, I have for the present
retained Elanus, notwithstanding the differences that do exist between
some of its members.

According to Audubon, they feed chiefly on the wing ; and having
pounced on any prey upon the ground, rise with it, and devour it
while flying. “In calm and warm weather,” he remarks, “they soar
to an immense height, pursuing the large insects called mosquito hawks,
and performing the most singular evolutions that can be conceived,
using their tail with an elegance peculiar to themselves,” They thus
show a manner of feeding entirely different from most birds of prey,
which generally retire to some distance, and devour in quiet on the
ground. There are some partly insectivorous hawks—Penis, for in-

SWALLOW-TAILED HAWK. 279

Georgia, and still more so in West Florida, and the extensive
prairies of Ohio and the Indiana territory. I met with these
birds in the early part of May at a place called Duck Creek,
in Tennessee, and found them sailing about in great num-
bers near Bayo Manchac on the Mississippi, twenty or thirty
being within view at the same time. At that season a species
of cicada, or locust, swarmed among the woods, making a
deafening noise, and I could perceive these hawks frequently
snatching them from the trees. A species of lizard, which is
very numerous in that quarter of the country, and has the
faculty of changing its colour at will, also furnishes the swallow-
tailed hawk with a favourite morsel. These lizards are some-
times of the most brilliant light green, in a few minutes
change to a dirty clay colour, and again become nearly black.
The swallow-tailed hawk and Mississippi kite feed eagerly
on this lizard, and, it is said, on a small green snake also,
which is the mortal enemy of the lizard, and frequently pursues
it to the very extremity of the branches, where both become
the prey of the hawk.*

The swallow-tailed hawk retires to the south in October,
at which season, Mr Bartram informs me, they are seen, in
Florida, at a vast height in the air, sailing about with great

stance—which seize and devour the insect during flight ; but larger
prey is treated at leisure. I am aware of none that feed so decidedly
on the wing as that now described ; in everything it will appear more
like a large swallow than an accipitrine bird.

Mr Audubon remarks another curious circumstance at variance with
the wary manners of the Falconide, ‘“ When one is killed, and falls
to the ground, the whole flock comes over the dead bird, as if intent
upon carrying it off. I have killed several of these hawks in this
manner, firing as fast as I could load my gun.”

This bird occurred to the late Dr Walker, at Ballachulish, in Argyle-
shire, in 1792, Another specimen was taken near Howes, in Wensley-
dale, Yorkshire, by W. Fotheringill, Esq., and communicated to the
London Society, November 1823.—Ep.

* This animal, if I mistake not, is the Lacerta bullaris, or bladder
lizard, of Turton, vol. i. p. 666. The facility with which it changes
colour is surprising, and not generally known to naturalists,

280 SWALLOW-TAILED HAWK.

steadiness ; and continue to be seen thus, passing to their
winter quarters, for several days. They usually feed from
their claws as they fly along. Their flight is easy and graceful,
with sometimes occasional sweeps among the trees, the long
feathers of their tail spread out, and each extremity of it used
alternately to lower, elevate, or otherwise direct their course.
I have never yet met with their nests.

These birds are particularly attached to the extensive
prairies of the western countries, where their favourite snakes,
lizards, grasshoppers, and locusts, are in abundance. They
are sometimes, though rarely, seen in Pennsylvania and New
Jersey, and that only in warm and very long summers. A
specimen now in the Museum of Philadelphia was shot within
a few miles of that city. We are informed that one was
taken in the South Sea, off the coast which lies between Ylo
and Arica, in about lat. 23 deg. south, on the 11th of September,
by the Reverend the Father Louis Feuillee.* They are also
common in Mexico, and extend their migrations as far as
Peru.

The swallow-tailed hawk measures full two feet in length,
and upwards of four feet six inches in extent; the bill is
black ; cere, yellow, covered at the base with bristles; iris of
the eye, silvery cream, surrounded with a blood-red ring ;
whole head and neck, pure white, the shafts, fine black hairs ;
the whole lower parts also pure white ; the throat and breast,
shafted in the same manner; upper parts, or back, black,
glossed with green and purple; whole lesser coverts, very
dark purple; wings long, reaching within two inches of the
tip of the tail, and black ; tail also very long, and remarkably
forked, consisting of twelve feathers, all black, glossed with
green and purple ; several of the tertials, white, or edged with
white, but generally covered by the scapulars ; inner vanes of
the secondaries, white on their upper half, black towards their
points ; lining of the wings, white ; legs, yellow, short, and
thick, and feathered before half way below the knee; claws,

* Jour. des Obs,, tom. ii. 33.

raved by WH nae

1. Leng-eared Owl... 2.Marsh Hawk. 3.Swatlow-tatled 1

Sil

LONG-EARED OWL. 281

much curved, whitish ; outer claw, very small. The greater
part of the plumage is white at the base; and when the
-scapulars are a little displaced, they appear spotted with white.

This was a male in perfect plumage. The colour and
markings of the male and female are nearly alike.

LONG-EARED OWL. (Strix otus.)
PLATE LI.—Fic. 1.

Turt. Syst. p. 167.—Bewick, i. p. 84.—Peale’s Museum, No. 434.
OLTUS VULGARIS.—FL.LEMING.*
Strix otus, Bonap. Synop. p. 37.—North. Zool. ii. p. 72.

Tus owl is common to both continents, and is much more
numerous in Pennsylvania than the white or barn owl: six
or seven were found in a single tree, about fifteen miles from
Philadelphia. There is little doubt but this species is found
inhabiting America to a high latitude, though we have no
certain accounts of the fact. Except in size, this species has
more resemblance to the great horned owl than any other of

* Upon the authority of the Prince of Musignano, and the examina-
tions of the various writers who have mentioned this bird, it appears
very near indeed, if not identical with, the O. vulgaris of Europe ; and
I have ventured to retain it as such, until I can decide from personal
observation. The opinions of Vieillot, &c., have been confused by the
existence of a second species in the United States, which will appear
in the fifth volume of the elegant continuation of Wilson, now in
progress by Bonaparte, under the title of Otus Mexicanus.

In the second volume of the “ Northern Zoology,” we have the long-
eared owl referred to this species, and no mention is made of any
difference arising even from climate, The habits described by Wilson
and Dr Richardson are precisely similar to those exhibited by our
European bird,

Otus has been formed by Cuvier for the reception of those species
with aigrettes, where the facial disk is conspicuous and the head pro-
portionally small, as in Bubo ; and where the ear-conch is large, extend-
ing, as in this species, from the posterior part of the orbit to behind
the limb of the lower jaw. The plumage is loose and downy, the
habits nocturnal.— Ep,

282 LONG-EARED OWL.

its tribe. It resembles it also in breeding among the branches
of tall trees ; lays four eggs, of nearly a round form, and pure
white.* The young are grayish white until nearly full grown,
and roost during the day close together on a limb, among the
thickest of the foliage. This owl is frequently seen abroad
during the day, but is not remarkable for its voice or habits.

The long-eared owl is fourteen inches and a half long, and
three feet two inches in extent; ears, large, composed of six
feathers, gradually lengthening from the front one backwards,
black, edged with rusty yellow; irides, vivid yellow; inside
of the circle of the face, white, outside or cheeks, rusty; at
the internal angle of the eye, a streak of black ; bill, blackish
horn colour; forehead and crown, deep brown, speckled with
minute points of white and pale rusty ; outside circle of the
face, black, finely marked with small curving spots of white ;
back and wings, dark brown, sprinkled and spotted with
white, pale ferruginous, and dusky ; primaries, barred with
brownish yellow and dusky, darkening towards the tips;
secondaries, more finely barred, and powdered with white and
dusky ; tail, rounded at the end, of the same length with the
wings, beautifully barred and marbled with dull white and
pale rusty, on a dark brown ground; throat and _ breast,
clouded with rusty, cream, black, and white ; belly, beautifully
streaked with large arrow-heads of black; legs and thighs,
plain pale rusty, feathered to the claws, which are blue black,
Jarge, and sharp ; inside of the wing, brownish yellow, with a
large spot of black at the root of the primaries, This was a
female. Of the male I cannot speak precisely ; though, from
the number of these birds which I have examined in the fall,
when it is difficult to ascertain their sex, I conjecture that
they differ very little in colour.

About six or seven miles below Philadelphia, and not far
from the Delaware, is a low swamp, thickly covered with
trees, and inundated during great part of the year. This

* Buffon remarks that it rarely constructs a nest of its own, but not
unfrequently occupies that of others, particularly the magpie,

RED-TAILED HAWK. 283

place is the resort of great numbers of the qua-bird, or night
raven (Ardea nycticorax), where they build in large com-
panies. On the 25th of April, while wading among the dark
recesses of this place, observing the habits of these birds, I
discovered a long-eared owl, which had taken possession of
one of their nests, and was sitting ; on mounting to the nest,
I found it contained four eggs, and, breaking one of these, the
young appeared almost ready to leave the shell. There were
numbers of the qua-birds’ nests on the adjoining trees all
around, and one of them actually on the same tree. Thus we
see how unvarying are the manners of this species, however
remote and different the countries may be where it has taken
up its residence.

RED-TAILED HAWK. (falco borealis.)

PLATE LII.—Fie. 2.

Arct. Zool. p. 205, No. 100.—American Buzzard, Lath. i. 50.—Turt. Syst.
p. 151.—F. aquilinus cauda ferruga, Great Eagle Hawk, Bartram, p. 290.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 182.

BUTEO BOREALIS.—SWAINSON.*

Falco (sub-genus Buteo) borealis, Bonap. Synop. p. 32.—The Red-tailed Hawk,
Aud. pl. 51, male and female; Orn. Biog. i. p. 265.—Buteo borealis, North.
Zool. ii. p. 50.

Tue figure of this bird, and those of the other two hawks on
the same plate, are reduced to exactly half the dimensions
of the living subjects. These representations are offered to
the public with confidence in their fidelity ; but these, I am

* The red-tailed buzzard is a species peculiar to America, and, in its
adult state, seems perfectly known to ornithologists. The figure on the
same plate, and next described by our author, has been subject to more
discussion, and has been variously named. From the testimonies of
Bonaparte and Audubon, it may, however, be certainly considered as
the young or immature bird—an idea which Wilson himself entertained,
and showed by his mark of interrogation to the young, and the quota-
tion of its synonyms. The figure at fig. 2 is the young in immature
plumage, where the red tail has not yet appeared, and which is known
to authors under the name of 7”. Leverianus,— Ep.

284 RED-TAILED HAWK.

sorry to say, are almost all I have to give towards elucidating
their history. Birds, naturally thinly dispersed over a vast
extent of country ; retiring during summer to the depth of the
forests to breed; approaching the habitations of man, like
other thieves and plunderers, with shy and cautious jealousy ;
seldom permitting a near advance; subject to great changes
of plumage; and, since the decline of falconry, seldom or
never domesticated,—offer to those who wish eagerly to inves-
tigate their history, and to delineate their particular char-
acter and manners, great and insurmountable difficulties.
Little more can be done in such cases than to identify the
species, and trace it through the various quarters of the world
where it has been certainly met with.

The red-tailed hawk is most frequently seen in the lower
parts of Pennsylvania during the severity of winter. Among
the extensive meadows that border the Schuylkill and Dela-
ware, below Philadelphia, where flocks of larks (Alauda
magna), and where mice and moles are in great abundance,
many individuals of this hawk spend the greater part of the
winter. Others prowl around the plantations, looking out for
vagrant chickens ; their method of seizing which is by sweep-
ing swiftly over the spot, and, grappling them with their
talons, bear them away to the woods. The bird from which
the figure in the plate was drawn was surprised in the act of
feeding on a hen he had just killed, and which he was com-
pelled to abandon. The remains of the chicken were imme-
diately baited to a steel trap, and early the next morning the
unfortunate red-tail was found a prisoner, securely fastened
by the leg. The same hen which the day before he had
massacred was, the very next, made the means of decoying
him to his destruction,—in the eye of the farmer, a system of
fair and just retribution.

This species inhabits the whole United States, and, I believe,
is not migratory, as I found it in the month of May as far
south as Fort Adams, in the Mississippi territory. The young
were, at that time, nearly as large as their parents, and were

RED-TAILED HAWK. 285

very clamorous, making an incessant squealing noise. One,
which I shot, contained in its stomach mingled fragments of
frogs and lizards.

The red-tailed hawk is twenty inches long, and three feet
nine inches in extent ; bill, blue black ; cere, and sides of the
mouth, yellow, tinged with green ; lores, and spot on the under
eyelid, white, the former marked with fine radiating hairs ;
eyebrow, or cartilage, a dull eel-skin colour, prominent, pro-
jecting over the eye ; a broad streak of dark brown extends
from the sides of the mouth backwards ; crown and hind head,
dark brown, seamed with white and ferruginous ; sides of the
neck, dull ferruginous, streaked with brown ; eye, large ; iris,
pale amber ; back and shoulders, deep brown ; wings, dusky,
barred with blackish; ends of the five first primaries, nearly
black ; scapulars, barred broadly with white and brown ; sides
of the tail-coverts, white, barred with ferruginous, middle ones
dark, edged with rust; tail, rounded, extending two inches
beyond the wings, and of a bright red brown, with a single
band of black near the end, and tipt with brownish white ;
on some of the lateral feathers are slight indications of the
remains of other narrow bars ; lower parts, brownish white ;
the breast, ferruginous, streaked with dark brown ; across the
belly, a band of interrupted spots of brown; chin, white;
femorals and vent, pale brownish white, the former marked
with a few minute heart-shaped spots of brown ; legs, yellow,
feathered half way below the knees.

This was a male. Another specimen, shot within a few
days after, agreed in almost every particular of its colour and
markings with the present, and, on dissection, was found to
be a female.

286 AMERICAN BUZZARD, OR WHITE-BREASTED HAWK.

AMERICAN BUZZARD, OR WHITE-BREASTED
HAWK. (falco borealis ?)

PLATE LII.—Fie. 1.

Lath. Sun. Sup. p. 31.—Ind. Orn. i. p. 18, No. 31.—Peale’s Museum, No. 400.
BUTEO BOREALIS.—YouNG OF THE YEAR.—BONAPARTE.
Falco (sub-genus Buteo) borealis, Bonap. Synop. p. 32.

Ir is with some doubt and hesitation that I introduce the
present as a distinct species from the preceding. In their size
and general aspect they resemble each other considerably ; yet
I have found both males and females among each ; and in
the present species I have sometimes found the ground colour
of the tail strongly tinged with ferruginous, and the bars of
dusky but slight ; while in the preceding, the tail is sometimes
wholly red brown, the single bar of black near the tip excepted ;
in other specimens evident remains of numerous other bars
are visible. In the meantime both are figured, and future
observations may throw more light on the matter.

This bird is more numerous than the last, but frequents
the same situations in winter. One, which was shot on the
wing, lived with me several weeks, but refused to eat. It
amused itself by frequently hopping from one end of the room
to the other, and sitting for hours at the window looking
down on the passengers below. At first, when approached by
any person, he generally put himself in the position in which
he is represented; but after some time he became quite familiar,
permitting himself to be handled, and shutting his eyes, as if
quite passive. Though he lived so long without food, he was
found on dissection to be exceedingly fat, his stomach being
enveloped in a mass of solid fat of nearly an inch in thickness.

The white-breasted hawk is twenty-two inches long, and
four feet in extent; cere, pale green; bill, pale blue, black
at the point; eye, bright straw colour; eyebrow, projecting
greatly ; head, broad, flat, and large; upper part of the head,
sides of the neck, and back, brown, streaked and seamed with

irann thom Nature by AWilen Engraved by WH Ltzars.
1. Red-tailed Hawk. 2American Buzzard. 3. Ash-coloured Hawk.

D2,

ASH-COLOURED OR BLACK-CAP HAWK. 287

white and some pale rust ; scapulars and wing-coverts, spotted
with white; wing-quills much resembling the preceding
species ; tail-coverts, white, handsomely barred with brown ;
tail, slightly rounded, of a pale brown colour, varying in some
to a sorrel, crossed by nine or ten bars of black, and tipt for
half an inch with white; wings, brown, barred with dusky ;
inner vanes nearly all white; chin, throat, and breast, pure
white, with the exception of some slight touches of brown that
enclose the chin; femorals, yellowish white, thinly marked
with minute touches of rust; legs, bright yellow, feathered
half way down; belly, broadly spotted with black or very
deep brown ; the tips of the wings reach to the middle of the
tail.

My reason for inclining to consider this a distinct species
from the last is the circumstance of having uniformly found
the present two or three inches larger than the former, though
this may possibly be owing to their greater age.

ASH-COLOURED OR BLACK-CAP HAWK.
(Falco atricapillus.)

PLATE LII.—Fie. 5.

Ash-coloured Buzzard? Lath. Syn. i. p. 55, No. 35.—Peale’s Museum, No. 406.
ASTUR ATRICAPILLUS.—BONAPARTE.*

Falco palumbarius, Bonap. Synop. p. 28.—Autour royal, Falco regalis, Zemm. Pl.
Col. tab. 495.—Accipiter (Astur) atricapillus, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 39.—Astur
atricapillus, Jard. and Selb. Illust. Orn. pl. 121.

OF this beautiful species I can find no precise description.
The ash-coloured buzzard of Edwards differs so much from

* The Falco atricapillus of Wilson has been confounded by all
writers, except the Prince of Musignano in his review of Cuvier, and
the authors of the “ Northern Zoology,” with the goshawk of Europe.
Wilson expresses his doubt, from being unable to compare it with actual
specimens. Sabine makes out the arctic specimens to be identical.
Audubon is of opinion, also, that they were identical ; but from what I
recollect of that gentleman’s drawing, it must have been made from this

288 ASH-COLOURED OR BLACK-CAP HAWKE.

this, particularly in wanting the fine zigzag lines below, and
the black cap, that I cannot for a moment suppose them to be

bird. While Temminck makes a new species altogether in his Autour
royal, without noticing Wilson.

The greatest difference between the two birds is the marking of the
breast and under parts, and it is so distinct as to be at once perceived.
In the American species, the under parts are of a uniform pale grayish
white, having the tail and centre of each feather black, forming a dark
streak. This extends to those in the centre of the belly, after which it
is hardly visible ; every feather in addition is clouded transversely with
irregular bars of gray. In the European bird, the markings are in the
shape of two decided transverse bars on each feather, with the shaft
dark, but not exceeding its own breadth,—each, as a whole, having a
very different appearance. The upper parts of the American bird are
also of a blue shade, and the markings of the head and auriculars are
darker and more decided. Wilson’s figure is a most correct represen-
tation.

The genus Astur, of Bechstein, has now been used for this form, and
is generally synonymous with Les autours of the French. Mr Swainson,
however, is inclined to make it rather a sub-genus of Accipiter, in which
the sparrow hawks and lesser species have been placed. There is some
difference in the construction of the tarsi, but the habits and general
form are nearly similar. In the ornithology of America, the Astur
Pennsylvanicus will show an example of the one; the bird now in
question that of the other.

In general form, the birds of this group are strong, but do not show
the firm and compact structure of the true falcon. The wings are short
and rounded, and present a considerable under surface, favourable to a
smooth and sailing flight, which power is rendered more perfect by the
lengthened and expanded tail. The tarsi and feet bear a relative pro-
portion of strength to their bodies, and the claws are more than usually
hooked and sharp ; that of the inner toe always equal to the hallux.
Their favourite abodes are woods, or well-clothed countries, where they
build and rear their young, hunting for prey about the skirts. They
are extremely active and bold ; their flight is sailing in circles, or, when
in search of prey. skimming near to the ground, about fences and brush,
and darting at anything, either on the ground or on wing, with great
celerity. I have seen some of our native species pick up a bird, when
flying near the ground, so rapidly, that the motion of stooping and
clutching was hardly perceptible, and the flight continued as if nothing
had happened. During their higher flights, or when threading through
a thick wood, which they do with great dexterity, the motions of the
tail are perceived directing their movements, and, in the latter case, is

ASH-COLOURED OR BLACK-CAP HAWK. 289

the same. The individual from which the drawing was made
is faithfully represented in the plate, reduced to one half its
natural dimensions. This bird was shot within a few miles
of Philadelphia, and is now preserved, in good order, in Mr
Peale’s Museum.

Its general make and aspect denotes great strength and
spirit ; its legs are strong, and its claws of more than propor-
tionate size. Should any other specimen or variety of this
hawk, differing from the present, occur during the publication
of this work, it will enable me more accurately to designate
the species.

The black-cap hawk is twenty-one inches in length ; the
bill and cere are blue; eye, reddish amber ; crown, black,
bordered on each side by a line of white finely specked with
black; these lines of white meet on the hind head; whole
upper parts, slate, tinged with brown, slightest on the quills ;
legs, feathered half way down, and, with the feet, of a yellow
colour ; whole lower parts and femorals, white, most elegantly
speckled with fine transverse pencilled zigzag lines of dusky,
all the shafts being a long black line ; vent, pure white.

If this be not the celebrated goshawk, formerly so much
esteemed in falconry, it is very closely allied to it. I have
never myself seen a specimen of that bird in Europe, and the
descriptions of their best naturalists vary considerably ; but,
from a careful examination of the figure and account of the
goshawk, given by the ingenious Mr Bewick (Brit. Birds, vol.
1. p. 65), I have very little doubt that the present will be
found to be the same.

The goshawk inhabits France and Germany ; is not very
common in South Britain, but more frequent in the northern

most conspicuously necessary. When perched at rest, the position is
unusually erect ; so much, that the line of the back and tail is almost
perpendicular, The plumage in the adults is often of a dark leaden
colour above, with bars and crosses on the under parts ; in the young,
the upper surface assumes different shades of brown, while the mark-
ings beneath are longitudinal.—Ep.

VOL. II. T

290 BLACK HAWK.

parts of the island, and is found in Russia and Siberia.
Buffon, who reared two young birds of this kind, a male and
female, observes, that ‘the goshawk, before it has shed its
feathers, that is, in its first year, is marked on the breast and
belly with longitudinal brown spots ; but after it has had two
moultings they disappear, and their place is occupied by
transverse waving bars, which continue during the rest of its
life ;” he also takes notice, that though the male was much
smaller than the female, it was fiercer and more vicious.

Mr Pennant informs us that the goshawk is used by the
Emperor of China in his sporting excursions, when he is
usually attended by his grand falconer and a thousand of
inferior rank. Every bird has a silver plate fastened to its
foot, with the name of the faleoner who has charge of it, that,
in case it should be lost, it may be restored to the proper
person ; but, if he should not be found, the bird is delivered
to another officer, called ‘‘ the guardian of lost birds,’ who, to
make his situation known, erects his standard in a conspicuous
place among the army of hunters. The same writer informs
us, that he examined, in the Leverian Museum, a specimen
of the goshawk which came from America, and which was
superior in size to the Huropean. He adds, “they are ‘the best
of all hawks for falconry.” *

BLACK HAWK. (Falco Sancti Johannis ?)
PLATE LIII.—Fre. 1.

Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 34, No. 74.—Chocolate-coloured Falcon, Penn. Arct. Zool.
No. 94.
BUTEO SANCTI JOHANNIS ?—BonAPARTeE.
Falco (sub-genus Buteo) Sancti Johannis, Bonap. Synop. p. 32.

Tus, and the other two figures on the same plate, are
reduced from the large drawings, which were taken of the
exact size of nature, to one half their dimensions. I regret

* Arctic Zoology, p. 204,

BLACK HAWRE. 291

the necessity which obliges me to contract the figures of these
birds, by which much of the grandeur of the originals is lost ;
particular attention, however, has been paid in the reduction
to the accurate representation of all their parts.

This is a remarkably shy and wary bird, found most fre-
quently along the marshy shores of our large rivers; feeds on
mice, frogs, and moles; sails much, and sometimes at a great
height ; has been seen to kill a duck on wing ; sits by the side
of the marshes on a stake for an hour at a time, in an almost
perpendicular position, as if dozing; flies with great ease, and
occasionally with great swiftness, seldom flapping the wings ;
seems particularly fond of river shores, swamps, and marshes ;
is most numerous with us in winter, and but rarely seen in
summer ; is remarkable for the great size of its eye, leneth of
its wings, and shortness of its toes. The breadth of its head
is likewise uncommon.

The black hawk is twenty-one inches long, and four feet
two inches in extent; bill, bluish black ; cere, and sides of the
mouth, orange yellow; feet, the same ; eye, very large ; iris,
bright hazel ; cartilage overhanging the eye, prominent, of a
dull greenish colour; general colour above, brown black,
slightly. dashed with dirty white; nape of the neck, pure
white under the surface; front, white; whole lower parts,
black, with slight tinges of brown; and a few circular touches
of the same on the femorals ; legs, feathered to the toes, and
black, touched with brownish ; the wings reach rather beyond
the tip of the tail; the five first primaries are white on their
inner vanes ; tail, rounded at the end, deep black, crossed with
five narrow bands of pure white, and broadly tipt with dull
white ; vent, black, spotted with white; inside vanes of the
primaries, snowy ; claws, black, strong, and sharp ; toes,
remarkably short.

I strongly suspect this bird to be of the very same species
with the next, though both were found to be males. Although
differmg greatly in plumage, yet, in all their characteristic
features, they strikingly resemble each other. The chocolate-

292 BLACK HAWK.

coloured hawk of Pennant, and St John’s falcon of the same
author (Arct. Zool., No. 93 and 94), are doubtless varieties of
this; and, very probably, his rough-legged falcon also. His
ficures, however, are bad, and ill calculated to exhibit the true
form and appearance of the bird.

This species is a native of North America alone. We
have no account of its ever having been seen in any part of
Europe; nor have we any account of its place or manner of
breeding.

BLACK HAWK.
PLATE LIII.—Fic. 2.—Youne.

Peale’s Museum, No. 405.
BUTEO SANCTI JOHANNIS.—Y0UNG.—BONAPARTE.

Falco (sub-genus Buteo) Sancti Johannis, young, Bonap. Synop. p. 32.

Tis is probably a younger bird of the preceding species,
being, though a male, somewhat less than its companion,
Both were killed in the same meadow, at the same place and
time. In form, features, and habitudes, it exactly agreed with
the former.

This bird measures twenty inches in leneth, and in extent,
four feet; the eyes, bill, cere, toes, and claws, were as in the
preceding ; head above, white, streaked with black and light
brown; along the eyebrows, a black line; cheeks, streaked like
the head; neck, streaked with black and reddish brown, on
a pale yellowish white ground; whole upper parts, brown
black, dashed with brownish white and pale ferruginous ;
tail, white for half its length, ending in brown, marked with
one or two bars of dusky and a larger bar of black, and tipt
with dull white ; wings as in the preceding, their lining varie-
gated with black, white, and ferruginous; throat and breast,
brownish yellow, dashed with black ; belly, beautifully varie-
gated with spots of white, black, and pale ferruginous ;
femorals and feathered legs, the same, but rather darker ;
vent, plain brownish white.

Drawn trom Nature by A Wilson Engraved by WH Lizars
Ll black Hawk, 2. Vartety of d? 3.Red shouldered H. 4. Female Baltimore Orvele.5.Female Towheé Bunting.

5D,

BLACK HAWK. 293

The original colour of these birds in their young state may
probably be pale brown, as the present individual seemed to
be changing to a darker colour on the neck and sides of the
head. This change, from pale brown to black, is not greater
than some of the genus are actually known to undergo. One
great advantage of examining living or newly killed specimens
is, that whatever may be the difference of colour between any
two, the eye, countenance, and form of the head instantly
betray the common family to which they belong ; for this
family likeness is never lost in the living bird, though in
stuffed skins and preserved specimens it is frequently entirely
obliterated. I have no hesitation, therefore, in giving it as
my opinion that the present and preceding birds are of the
same species, differing only in age, both being males. Of
the female I am unable at present to speak.

Pennant, inhis account of the chocolate-coloured hawk, which
is, very probably, the same with the present and preceding
species, observes that it preys much on ducks, sitting on a rock,
and watching their rising, when it instantly strikes them.

While traversing our sea-coast and salt marshes, between
Cape May and Egg Harbour, I was everywhere told of a
duck hawk, noted for striking down ducks on wing, though
flying with their usual rapidity. Many extravagances were
mingled with these accounts, particularly that it always
struck the ducks with its breast bone, which was universally
said to project several inches, and to be strong and sharp.
From the best verbal descriptions I could obtain of this hawk,
I have strong suspicions that it is no other than the black
hawk, as its wings were said to be long and very pointed,
the colour very dark, the size nearly alike, and several other
traits given, that seemed particularly to belong to this species,
As Ihave been promised specimens of this celebrated hawk
next winter, a short time will enable me to determine the
matter more satisfactorily. Few gunners in that quarter are
unacquainted with the duck hawk, as it often robs them of
their wounded birds before they are able to reach them.

204 RED-SHOULDERED HAIWE.

Since writing the above, I have ascertained that the duck
F hawk is not this species, but the celebrated peregrine falcon,
a figure and description of which will be given in our third

volume.

RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. (Falco lineatus.)
PLATE LIII.—Fie. 3.

Arct. Zool. p. 206, No. 102.—Lath. i. 56, No. 36.—Turt. Syst. p. 153.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 205.

BUTEO? LINEATUS.—J ARDINE.*

Falco (sub-genus Circus) hyemalis, Bonap. Synop. p. 33.—Red-shouldered Hawk,
Aud. pl. 56, male and female; Orn. Biog. i. p. 296.

HIS species is more rarely met with than either of the
former. Its haunts are in the neighbourhood of the sea. It
preys on larks, sandpipers, and the small ringed plover, and
frequently on ducks. It flies high and irregularly, and not
in the sailing manner of the long-winged hawks. I have
occasionally observed this bird near Ege Harbour, in New

* This bird is certainly distinct from the F. hyemalis of this volume ;
and, independent of the distinctions of plumage, the very different
| habits of both pointed out by Mr Audubon can hardly be reconciled.
. All the characters and habits of the bird lean much more to the gos-
hawks ; it delights in woody countries, builds on trees, and is much
more active. The plumage generally is that of the buzzards and Cire ;
but the under parts present a combination of the transverse barring of
Astur. In addition to the description of Wilson, Audubon observes,
that this bird is rarely observed in the middle districts, where, on the
contrary, the winter falcon usually makes its appearance from the north
at the approach of autumn. “It is one of the most noisy of its genus,
during spring especially, when it would be difficult to walk the skirts
of woods bordering a large plantation, without hearing its discordant
shrill notes, ka-hee, ka-hee, as it sails in rapid circles at a very great
elevation. The interior of the woods seems the fittest haunts for the
red-shouldered hawk, where they also breed. The nest is seated near
the extremity of a large branch, and is as bulky as that of a com-
mon crow. It is formed externally of dry sticks and Spanish moss,
and is lined with withered grass and fibrous roots. The female lays
four eggs, sometimes five ; they are of a broad oval form, granulated
all over, pale blue, faintly blotched with brownish red at the smaller
end.”—Ep.

FEMALE BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 295

Jersey, and once in the meadows below this city. This hawk
was first transmitted to Great Britain by Mr Blackburne,
from Long Island, in the State of New York. With its
manner of building, eggs, &c., we are altogether unacquainted.

The red-shouldered hawk is nineteen inches in length ; the
head and back are brown, seamed and edged with rusty ; bill,
blue black ; cere and legs, yellow ; greater wing-coverts and
secondaries, pale olive brown, thickly spotted on both vanes
with white and pale rusty ; primaries, very dark, nearly black,
and barred or spotted with white; tail, rounded, reaching
about an inch and a half beyond the wings, black, crossed by
five bands of white, and broadly tipt with the same ; whole
breast and belly, bright rusty, speckled and spotted with
transverse rows of white, the shafts black; chin and cheeks,
pale brownish, streaked also with black; iris, reddish hazel ;
vent, pale ochre, tipt with rusty ; legs, feathered a little below
the knees, long ; these and the feet, a fine yellow ; claws,
black ; femorals, pale rusty, faintly barred with a darker tint.

In the month of April I shot a female of this species, and
the only one I have yet met with, in a swamp, seven or eight
miles below Philadelphia. The eggs were, some of them,
nearly as large as peas; from which circumstance I think it
probable they breed in such solitary parts even in this State.
Jn colour, size, and markings, it differed very little from the
male described above. The tail was scarcely quite so black,
and the white bars not so pure; it was also something larger.

FEMALE BALTIMORE ORIOLE. (Oriolus
Baltimorus.)

PLATE LIII.—Fie. 4.

Amer. Orn, vol. i. p, 23.
ICTERUS BALTIMORE.—DAUDIN.

THE history of this beautiful species has been particularly
detailed in the first volume of the present work ; * to this repre-
* See Vol. I. p. 16.

206 FEMALE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

sentation of the female, drawn of half the size of nature, a few
particulars may be added. The males generally arrive several
days before the females, saunter about their wonted places of
residence, and seem lonely, and less sprightly than after the
arrival of their mates. In the spring and summer of 1811, a
baltimore took up its abode in Mr Bartram’s garden, whose
notes were so singular as particularly to attract my attention ;
they were as well known to me as the voice of my most
intimate friend. On the 30th of April 1812, I was again sur-
prised and pleased at hearing this same baltimore in the
garden, whistling his identical old chant ; and I observed that
he particularly frequented that quarter of the garden where
the tree stood, on the pendant branches of which he had
formed his nest the preceding year. This nest had been
taken possession of by the house wren, a few days after the
baltimore’s brood had abandoned it; and, curious to know
how the little intruder had furnished it within, I had taken it
down early in the fall, after the wren herself had also raised a
brood of six young in it, and which was her second that season.
I found it stript of its original lining, floored with sticks or
small twigs, above which were laid feathers ; so that the usual
complete nest of the wren occupied the interior of that of the
baltimore.

The chief difference between the male and female baltimore
oriole is the superior brightness of the orange colour of the
former to that of the latter. The black on the head, upper
part of the back, and throat of the female, is intermixed with
dull orange ; whereas, in the male, those parts are of a deep
shining black ; the tail of the female also wants the greater
part of the black, and the whole lower parts are of a much
duskier orange.

I have observed that these birds are rarely seen in pine
woods, or where these trees generally prevail. On the ridges
of our high mountains they are seldom to be met with. In
orchards and on well-cultivated farms they are most numerous,

generally preferring such places to build in, rather than the
woods or forest.

FEMALE TOWHE BUNTING. 207

FEMALE TOWHE BUNTING. (Linberiza
erythropthalma.)

PLATE LITII.—Fie. 5.

Amer. Orn. vol. ii. p. 35.—Turt. Syst. p. 534.—Peale’s Museum, No. 5970.
PIPILO ERYTHROPTHALMA.,—VIEILLOT.

Tuis bird differs considerably from the male in colour, and
has, if I mistake not, been described as a distinct species by
European naturalists, under the appellation of the “ Rusty
Bunting.’ The males of this species, like those of the pre-
ceding, arrive several days sooner than the females. In one
afternoon’s walk through the woods, on the 23d of April, I
counted more than fifty of the former, and did not observe
any of the latter, though I made a very close search for them.
This species frequents in great numbers the barrens covered
with shrub oaks ; and inhabits even to the tops of our moun-
tains. ‘They are almost perpetually scratching among the
fallen leaves, and feed chiefly on worms, beetles, and gravel.
They fly low, flirting out their broad white-streaked tail, and
uttering their common note tow-heé. They build always on
the ground, and raise two broods in the season. For a parti-
cular account of the manners of this species, see our history of
the male, Vol. I. p. 185.

The female towhe is eight inches long, and ten inches in
extent; iris of the. eye, a deep blood colour; bill, black ;
plumage above and on the breast, a dark reddish drab, reddest
on the head and breast ; sides under the wings, light chestnut ;
belly, white ; vent, yellow ochre; exterior vanes of the tertials,
white; a small spot of white marks the primaries immediately
below their coverts, and another slighter streak crosses them
in a slanting direction ; the three exterior tail-feathers are tipt
with white; the legs and feet, flesh-coloured.

This species seems to have a peculiar dislike to the sea-coast,
as in the most favourable situations in other respects, within
several miles of the sea, it is scarcely ever to be met with.

298 BROAD-WINGED HAWK.

Scarcity of its particular kinds of favourite food in such places
may probably be the reason, as it is well known that many
kinds of insects, on the larvee of which it usually feeds, care-
fully avoid the neighbourhood of the sea.

BROAD-WINGED HAWK. (Falco Pennsylvanicus.)
PLATE LIV.—Fie. 1.

Peale’s Museum, No. 407.
ASTUR? LATISSIMUS.—JARDINE.*

Falcolatissimus, Ord’s reprint of Wilson.—Falco(sub-genus Astur) Pennsylvanicus,
Bonap. Synop. p. 29.—The Broad-winged Hawk, Aud. pl. 91, male and
female ; Orn. Biog.i. p. 461.

THIs new species, as well as the rest of the figures on the
same plate, is represented of the exact size of life. The hawk
was shot on the 6th of May in Mr Bartram’s woods, near the
Schuylkill, and was afterwards presented to Mr Peale, in whose
collection it now remains. It was perched on the dead limb of
a high tree, feeding on something which was afterwards found
to be the meadow mouse (figured in plate 50). On my
approach, it uttered a whining kind of whistle, and flew off to
another tree, where I followed and shot it. Its great breadth

* Mr Ord’s name of latissimus is the most proper for this hawk.
Wilson seems inadvertently to have given the name of Pennsylvanicus
to two species, and the latter being applied to the adult plumage, and
veloc to the young, the former has been retained by Temminck and the
authors of the “ Northern Zoology,” while Ord seems to have the merit
of discriminating the large species, and giving it the title above adopted.
I have taken Astur, on the authority of Bonaparte, for its generic
appellation ; though the habits and kind of food ally it more to the
buzzards, it is one of those birds with dubious and combined characters.
Mr Audubon describes it as of a quiet and sluggish disposition, allowing
itself to be tormented by the little sparrow hawk and tyrant flycatcher.
It feeds on animals and birds, and also on frogs and snakes ; breeds on
trees ; the nest is placed near the stem or trunk, and is composed of
dry thistles, and lined with numerous small roots and large feathers ;

the eggs are four or five, of a dull grayish white, blotched with dark
brown.—Eb.

&n ved Dy WH Ltzars
Drawn trom Nature by A Wilson igraved D

1. Broad-winged Hawk. 2.Chuck-wills-widow. 3.Cape-May Warbler. 4 female Black-cap W.
o4.

BROAD-WINGED HAWKE, 299

of wing, or width of the secondaries, and also of its head and
body, when compared with its Jength, struck me as peculia-
rities. It seemed a remarkably strong-built bird, handsomely
marked, and was altogether unknown to me. Mr Bartram,
who examined it very attentively, declared he had never before
seen such a hawk. On the afternoon of the next day, I
observed another, probably its mate or companion, and cer-
tainly one of the same species, sailing about over the same woods.
Its motions were in wide circles, with unmoving wings, the
exterior outline of which seemed a complete semicircle. I
was extremely anxious to procure this also if possible ; but it
was attacked and driven away by a king-bird before I could
effect my purpose, and I have never since been fortunate
enough to meet with another. On dissection, the one which
I had shot proved to be a male.

In size this hawk agrees nearly with the Buzzardet (Falco
albidus) of Turton, described also by Pennant ;* but either
the descriptions of these authors are very inaccurate, the
change of colour which that bird undergoes very great, or the.
present is altogether a different species. | Until, however,
some other specimens of this hawk come under my observation,
I can only add to the figure here given, and which is a good
likeness of the original, the following particulars of its size
and plumage :—

Length, fourteen inches ; extent, thirty-three inches; bill,
black, blue near the base, slightly toothed ; cere and corners
of the mouth, yellow ; irides, bright amber ; frontlet and lores,
white; from the mouth backwards runs a streak of blackish
brown ; upper parts, dark brown, the plumage tipt and the
head streaked with whitish ; almost all the feathers above are
spotted or barred with white, but this is not seen unless they
be separated by the hand ; head, large, broad, and flat ; cere
very broad ; the nostril also large ; tail short, the exterior and
interior feathers somewhat the shortest, the others rather
longer, of a full black, and crossed with two bars of white,

* Arctic Zoology, No. 109.

300 BROAD-WINGED HAWK.

tipt also slightly with whitish ; tail coverts, spotted with white;
wings, dusky brown, indistinctly barred with black; greater
part of the inner vanes, snowy; lesser coverts and upper part
of the back, tipt and streaked with bright ferruginous ; the
bars of black are very distinct on the lower side of the wing ;
lining of the wing, brownish white, beautifully marked with
small arrow-heads of brown; chin, white, surrounded by
streaks of black; breast and sides, elegantly spotted with
large arrow-heads of brown, centred with pale brown ; belly
and vent, like the breast, white, but more thinly marked with
pointed spots of brown ; femorals, brownish white, thickly
marked with small touches of brown and white ; vent, white ;
legs, very stout ; feet, coarsely scaled, both of a dirty orange
yellow ; claws, semicircular, strong and very sharp, hind one
considerably the largest.

While examining the plumage of this bird, a short time
after it was shot, one of those winged ticks with which many
of our birds are infested appeared on the surface of the
feathers, moving about, as they usually do, backwards or side-
ways like a crab, among the plumage with great facility.
The fish hawk, in particular, is greatly pestered with these
vermin, which occasionally leave him, as suits their convenience.
A gentleman who made the experiment assured me, that on
plunging a live fish hawk under water, several of these winged
ticks remained hovering over the spot, and, the instant the
hawk rose above the surface, darted again among his plumage.
The experiment was several times made, with the like result.
As soon, however, as these parasites perceive the dead body of
their patron beginning to become cold, they abandon it; and,
if the person who holds it have his head uncovered, dive in-
stantly among his hair, as I have inyself frequently experienced ;
and, though driven from thence, repeatedly return, till they
are caught and destroyed. There are various kinds of these
ticks: the one found on the present hawk is figured beside
him. The head and thorax were light brown; the legs, six
in number, of a bright green, their joints moving almost hori-

CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW. 301

zontally, and thus enabling the creature to pass with the
greatest ease between the lamin of feathers ; the wings were
single, of a dark amber colour, and twice as long as the body,
which widened towards the extremity, where it was slightly in-
dented ; feet, two clawed.

This insect lived for several days between the crystal and
dial-plate of a watch carried in the pocket ; but being placed
for a few minutes in the sun, fell into convulsions and died.

CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOW. (Caprimulgus Carolinensis.)
PLATE LIV.—Fie. 2.

Peale’s Museum, No. 7723.
CAPRIMULGUS CAROLINENSIS.—BRIssSon.*
Caprimulgus Carolinensis, Lath. Gen. Hist.—Caprimulgus rufus, Viel. (auct.

Bonap.) Bonap. Synop. p. 61.—Chuck-will’s-widow, Aud. pl. 52, male
and female ; Orn. Biog. i. p. 273.

Tus solitary bird is rarely found to the north of James
River, in Virginia, on the sea-board, or of Nashville, in the

* According to Mr Audubon, this species, when disturbed or annoyed
about the nest, removes its eggs or young to a distance. This circum-
stance seems known to the negroes and American farmers, who give
various accounts of the mode in which it is performed. Mr Audubon
could not satisfy himself as to the truth of these accounts, and resolved
to watch and judge for himself. What follows is the result of his
observation :—

“ When the chuck-will’s-widow, either male or female (for each sits
alternately), has discovered that the eggs have been touched, it ruffles
its feathers, and appears extremely dejected for a minute or two, after
which it emits a low murmuring cry, scarcely audible to me, as I lay
concealed at a distance of not more than eighteen or twenty yards. At
this time, I have seen the other parent reach the spot, flying so low
over the ground, that I thought its little feet must have touched it as
it skimmed along, and after a few low notes and some gesticulations,
all indicative of great distress, take an egg in its large mouth, the
other bird doing the same, when they would fly off together, skimming
closely over the ground, until they disappeared among the branches
and trees.”—EDp,

302 CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW,

State of Tennesee, in the interior; and no instance has come
to my knowledge of its having been seen either in New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, or Maryland. On my journey south, I first
met with it between Richmond and Petersburg, in Virginia,
and also on the banks of the Cumberland in Tennesee.

Mr Pennant has described this bird under the appellation of
the “short-winged goatsucker ” (Arct. Zool., No. 336), froma
specimen which he received from Dr Garden of Charleston,
South Carolina ; but in speaking of its manners, he confounds
it with the whip-poor-will, though the latter is little more
than half the cubic bulk of the former, and its notes altogether
different. “In South Carolina,” says this writer, speaking of
the present species, “it is called, from one of its notes, chuck,
Chuck-will’s-widow, and, in the northern provinces, whdp-
poor-will, from the resemblance which another of its notes
bears to those words” (Arct. Zool., p. 434). He then proceeds
to detail the manners of the common whip-poor-will, by ex-
tracts from Dr Garden and Mr Kalm, which clearly prove that
all of them were personally unacquainted with that bird, and
had never seen or examined any other than two of our species,
the short-winged or chuck-will’s-widow, and the long-winged
or night hawk, to both of which they indiscriminately attribute
the notes and habits of the whip-poor-will.

The chuck-will’s-widow, so called from its notes, which
seem exactly to articulate those words, arrives on the sea-
coast of Georgia about the middle of March, and in Virginia
early in April. It commences its singular call generally in
the evening, soon after sunset, and continues it, with short
occasional interruptions, for several hours. ‘Towards morning
these repetitions are renewed, and continue until dawn has
fairly appeared. During the day it is altogether silent. This
note or call instantly attracts the attention of a stranger, and
is strikingly different from that of the whip-poor-will. In
sound and articulation it seems plainly to express the words
which have been applied to it (chuck-will’s-widow), pronounc-
ing each syllable leisurely and distinctly, putting the principal

CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW. 303

emphasis on the last word. In a still evening it may be heard
at the distance of nearly a mile, the tones of its voice being
stronger and more full than those of the whip-poor-will, who
utters his with much greater rapidity. In the Chickasaw
country, and throughout the whole Mississippi territory, I
found the present species very numerous in the months of
April and May, keeping up a continual noise during the
whole evening, and, in moonlight, throughout the whole of
the night.

The flight of this bird is low, skimming about at a few feet
above the surface of the ground, frequently settling on old
logs, or on the fences, and from thence sweeping around in
pursuit of various winged insects that fly in the night. Like
the whip-poor-will, it prefers the declivities of glens and other
deeply shaded places, making the surrounding ‘mountains
ring with echoes the whole evening. I several times called
the attention of the Chickasaws to the notes of this bird, on
which occasions they always assumed a grave and thoughtful
aspect ; but it appeared to me that they made no distinction
between the two species; so that whatever superstitious notions
they may entertain of the one, are probably applied to the other.

This singular genus of birds, formed to subsist on the
superabundance of nocturnal insects, are exactly and sur-
prisingly fitted for their peculiar mode of life. Their flight
is low, to accommodate itself to their prey ; silent, that they
may be the better concealed, and sweep upon it unawares ;
their sight, most acute in the dusk, when such insects are
abroad; their evolutions, something like those of the bat,
quick and sudden; their mouths, capable of prodigious ex-
pansion, to seize with more certainty, and furnished with
long branching hairs or bristles, serving as palisadoes to
secure what comes between them. Reposing so much during
the heats of day, they are much invested with vermin, par-
ticularly about the head, and are provided with a comb on
the inner edge of the middle claw, with which they are often
employed in ridding themselves of these pests, at least when

304 CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW.

in a state of captivity. Having no weapons of defence
except their wings, their chief security is in the solitude of
night, and in their colour and close retreats by day; the
former so much resembling that of dead leaves of various
hues, as not to be readily distinguished from them even when
close at hand.

The chuck-will’s-widow lays its eggs, two in number, on
the ground generally, and, I believe, always in the woods ; it
makes no nest; the eggs are of a dull olive colour, sprinkled
with darker specks ; are about as large as those of a pigeon,
and exactly oval. Early in September they retire from the
United States.

This species is twelve inches long, and twenty-six in
extent ; bill, yellowish, tipt with black ; the sides of the mouth
are armed with numerous long bristles, strong, tapering, and
furnished with finer hairs branching from each ; cheeks and
chin, rust colour, specked with black; over the eye extends
a line of small whitish spots; head and back, very deep
brown, powdered with cream, rust, and bright ferruginous,
and marked with long ragged streaks of black; scapulars,
broadly spotted with deep black, bordered with cream, and
interspersed with whitish ; the plumage of that part of the
neck which falls over the back, is long, something like that
of a cock, and streaked with yellowish brown ; wing quills,
barred with black and bright rust ; tail, rounded, extending
about an inch beyond the tips of the wings ; it consists of ten
feathers, the four middle ones are powdered with various
tints of ferruginous, and elegantly marked with fine zigzag
lines, and large herring-bone figures of black ; exterior edges
of the three outer feathers, barred like the wings; their
interior vanes, for two-thirds of their length, are pure snowy
white, marbled with black, and ferruginous at the base ; this
white spreads over the greater part of the three outer feathers
near their tips ; across the throat is a slight band or mark of
whitish ; breast, black, powdered with rust ; belly and vent,
lighter ; legs, feathered before nearly to the feet, which are of

CAPE MAY WARBLER. 305

a dirty purplish flesh colour ; inner side of the middle claw,
deeply pectinated.

The female differs chiefly in wanting the pure white on the
three exterior tail-feathers, these being more of a brownish
cast.

CAPE MAY WARBLER. (Sylvia maritima.)

4
PLATE LIV.—Fie. 3.

SYLVICOLA MARITIMA,.—JanpI1nu.*
Sylvia maritima, Bonap. Synop. p. 79.—The Carbonated Warbler? Aud. pl. 60,
male ; Orn. Biog. i. p. 308.

Tus new and beautiful little species was discovered in a
maple swamp in Cape May county, not far from the coast,
by Mr George Ord of Philadelphia, who accompanied me on
a shooting excursion to that quarter in the month of May last
(1811). Through the zeal and activity of this gentleman I
succeeded in procuring many rare and elegant birds among
the sea islands and extensive salt marshes that border that
part of the Atlantic, and much interesting information rela-
tive to their nests, eggs, and particular habits. I have also at
various times been favoured with specimens of other birds
from the same friend; for all which I return my grateful
acknowledgments. |

The same swamp that furnished us with this elegant little
stranger, and indeed several miles around it, were ransacked
by us both for another specimen of the same, but without
success. Fortunately it proved to be a male,t and being in
excellent plumage, enabled me to preserve a faithful portrait
of the original.

Whether this be a summer resident in the lower parts of

* The Prince of Musignano first directed my attention to the identity
of this bird of Wilson and Audubon’s carbonated warbler. I cannot
perceive any essential difference, that is, judging from the two plates

and descriptions. Mr Audubon procured his species in the State of
Kentucky.—Ep.

+ Female figured Vol, IIT.
VOL. II. U

306 CAPE MAV WARBLER.

New Jersey, or merely a transient passenger toa more northern
climate, I cannot with certainty determine. The spring had
been remarkably cold, with long and violent north-east storms,
and many winter birds, as well as passengers from the south,
still lingered in the woods as late as the 20th of May, gleaning,
in small companies, among the opening buds and infant leaves,
and skipping nimbly from twig to twig, which was the case

‘with the bird now before us when it was first observed. Of

its notes or particular history I am equally uninformed.

The length of this species is five inches and a half; extent,
eight and a half; bill and legs, black ; whole upper part of
the head, deep black ; line from the nostril over the eye, chin,
and sides of the neck, rich yellow; ear-feathers, orange, which
also tints the back part of the yellow line over the eye; at the
anterior and posterior angle of the eye is a small touch of
black ; hind head and whole back, rump, and _tail-coverts,
yellow olive, thickly streaked with black; the upper exterior
edges of several of the greater wing-coverts are pure white,
forming a broad bar on the wing, the next superior row being
also broadly tipt with white; rest of the wing, dusky, finely
edged with dark olive yellow; throat and whole breast, rich
yellow, spreading also along the sides under the wings, hand-
somely marked with spots of black running in chains; belly
and vent, yellowish white; tail, forked, dusky black, edged
with yellow olive, the three exterior feathers on each side
marked on their inner vanes with a spot of white. The yellow
on the throat and sides of the neck reaches nearly round it,
and is very bright.

FEMALE BLACK-POLL WARBLER. 307

FEMALE BLACK-POLL WARBLER. (Sylvia striata.)
PLATE LIV.—Fic. 4.

Amer. Orn. vol. iv. p. 40.
SYLVICOLA STRIATA,.—SWAINSON.

Tus bird was shot in the same excursion with the preceding,
and is introduced here for the purpose of preventing future
collectors, into whose hands specimens of it may chance to
fall, from considering it as another and a distinct species. Its
history, as far as was then known, has been detailed in a
preceding part of this work, supra, p. 32. Of its nest and
ecos I am still ignorant. It doubtless breeds both here and
in New Jersey, having myself found it in both places during
the summer. From its habit of keeping on the highest
branches of trees, it probably builds in such situations, and its
nest may long remain unknown to us.

Pennant, who describes this species, says that it inhabits,
during summer, Newfoundland and New York, and is called
in the last, saclor. This name, for which, however, no reason
is given, must be very local, as the bird itself is one of those
silent, shy, and solitary individuals, that seek the deep retreats
of the forest, and are known to few or none but the naturalist.

Length of the female black-cap, five inches and a quarter,
extent, eight and a quarter ;. bill, brownish black; crown,
yellow olive, streaked with black ; back, the same, mixed with
some pale slate; wings, dusky brown, edged with olive; first
and second wing-coverts, tipt with white; tertials, edged with
yellowish white; tail-coverts, pale gray; tail, dusky, forked,
the two exterior feathers marked on their inner vanes with
a spot of white; round the eye is a whitish ring; cheeks and
sides of the breast, tinged with yellow, and slightly spotted
with black ; chin, white, as are also the belly and vent; legs
and feet, dirty orange.

The young bird of the first season and the female, as is
usually the case, are very much alike in plumage. On their

|
|

308 RING- TAILED EAGLE.

arrival early in April, the black feathers on the crown are
frequently seen coming out, intermixed with the former ash-
coloured ones.

This species has all the agility and many of the habits of
the flycatcher.

[Parts VII. and VIII. of this work, commencing with the next
description (ring-tailed eagle), seem to have been finished more
hurriedly, and contain greater mistakes in the nomenclature, than any
of the preceding ones ; the descriptions, however, are alike vivid and
well drawn. In 1824 Mr Ord, the personal friend of Wilson, undertook,
at the request of the publisher, to improve these two parts, and they
were accordingly republished with that gentleman’s additions. We have
thought it better to print from the original edition, as showing the true
opinions of its author, but have occasionally inserted, at the conclusion
of the descriptions, the observations of Mr Ord, taken from his reprint.

—Ep.]

RING-TAILED EAGLE. (Falco fulvus.)
PLATE LV.—Fie. 1.

Linn. Syst. 125.—Black Eagle, Arct. Zool. p. 195, No. 87.—Lath. i. 32, No. 6.
—White-tailed Eagle, Hdw. i. 1.—L’Aigle commun, Buff. i. 86, Pl. ent. 409.
—Bewick, i. p. 49.—Turt. Syst. p. 145.—Peale’s Museum, No. 84.

AQUILA CHRYSAETUS.—WILLOUGHBY.*

Ayle royal, Temm. Man. d Orn. i. p. 38.—Aquila chrysaétos, Fem. 138.—Zool.
p. 52.—Golden Eagle, Selby, I/lust. Br. Orn. pl. 1 and 2, the young and adult,
parti. p. 4.—Aquila chrysaétos? Worth. Zool. ii. p. 12.—Bonap. Synop. p. 24.

THe reader is now presented with a portrait of this cele-
brated eagle, drawn from a fine specimen shot in the county
of Montgomery, Pennsylvania. The figure here given, though

* Wilson, like many other ornithologists, imagined that the ring-tailed
and golden eagles constituted two species. Temminck, I believe, first
asserted the fact of their being identical, and the attention of naturalists
in this country was attracted to the circumstance by the different
opinions entertained by Mr James Wilson and Mr Selby. The latter
gentleman has long since satisfactorily proved their identity from obser-
vation, and the numerous specimens kept alive in various parts of Britain
have set the question completely at rest. The ring-tail is the young of

2Q7

FALE.

Drawn trom Nature by A dson

gle.

2. Sea Fa

Ring- tau Eagle :

RING-TAILED EAGLE. 309

reduced to one-third the size of life, is strongly characteristic
of its original. With respect to the habits of the species, such
particulars only shall be selected as are well authenticated,
rejecting whatever seems vague, or savours too much of the
marvellous.

This noble bird, in strength, spirit, and activity, ranks
among the first of its tribe. It is found, though sparingly,
dispersed over the whole temperate and arctic regions, parti-
cularly the latter ; breeding on high precipitous rocks, always
preferring a mountainous country. In its general appearance,
it has great resemblance to the golden eagle, from which, how-
ever, it differs in being rather less, as also in the colours and
markings of the tail, and, as it is said, in being less noisy.
When young, the colour of the body is considerably lighter,
but deepens into a blackish brown as it advances in age.

The tail-feathers of this bird are highly valued by the
various tribes of American Indians for ornamenting their
calumets or pipes of peace. Several of these pipes, which
were brought from the remote regions of Louisiana by Captain

the first year, and as such is correctly figured by our author. Ina wild
state, three years are required to complete the clouded barring, the
principal mark of the adults, and which, even after that period, increase
in darkness of colour. When kept in confinement, the change is gene-
rally longer in taking place ; and I have seen it incomplete at six years.
It commences by an extension of the bar at the end of the tail, and by
additional cloudings on the white parts, which increase yearly until
perfected. This bird does not seem very common in any part of America,
and is even more rarely met with in the adult plumage. It was found
on the borders of the Rocky Mountains by the Overland Arctic Expedi-
tion, and is known also on the plains of the Saskatchewan.

The noble bearing and aspect of the eagles and falcons have always
associated them, among rude nations and in poetical comparisons, with
the true courage of the warrior and the magnanimity of the prince or
chief, The young Indian warrior glories in his eagle’s plume, as the
most honourable ornament with which he can adorn himself ; the dress
of a Highland chieftain is incomplete without this badge of high degree.
The feathers of the war eagle are also used at the propitiatory sacrifices,

and so highly are they prized, that a valuable horse is sometimes ex-
changed for the tail of a single eagle.—Ep.

310 RING-TAILED EAGLE.

Lewis, are now deposited in Mr Peale’s Museum, each of which
has a number of the tail-feathers of this bird attached to it.
The northern as well as the southern Indians seem to follow
the like practice, as appears by the numerous calumets, for-
merly belonging to different tribes, to be seen in the same
magnificent collection.

Mr Pennant informs us that the independent Tartars train
this eagle for the chase of hares, foxes, wolves, antelopes, &c.,
and that they esteem the feathers of the tail the best for pluming
their arrows. The ring-tail eagle is characterised by all as a
generous, spirited, and docile bird ; and various extraordinary
incidents are related of it by different writers, not, however,
sufficiently authenticated to deserve repetition. The truth
is, the solitary habits of the eagle now before us, the vast
inaccessible cliffs to which it usually retires, united with the
scarcity of the species in those regions inhabited by man, all
combine to render a particular knowledge of its manners
very difficult to be obtained. The author has once or twice
observed this bird sailing along the alpine declivities of the
White Mountains of New Hampshire, early in October, and
again over the Highlands of Hudson’s river, not far from
West Point. Its flight was easy, in high circuitous sweeps ;
its broad white tail, tipped with brown, expanded like a fan.
Near the settlements on Hudson’s Bay, it is more common,
and is said to prey on hares, and the various species of grouse
which abound there. Buffon observes, that though other
eagles also prey upon hares, this species is a more fatal enemy
to those timid animals, which are the constant object of their
search, and the prey which they prefer. The Latins, after
Pliny, termed the eagle Valeria quasi valens viribus, because
of its strength, which appears greater than that of other eagles
in proportion to its size.

The ring-tail eagle measures nearly three feet in length ;
the bill is of a brownish horn colour ; the cere, sides of the
mouth, and feet, yellow ; iris of the eye, reddish hazel, the eye
turned considerably forwards ; eyebrow, remarkably prominent,

SEA EAGLE, 311

projecting over the eye, and giving a peculiar sternness to the
aspect of the bird; the crown is flat; the plumage of the
head, throat, and neck, long and pointed ; that on the upper
part of the head and neck, very pale ferruginous ; fore part
of the crown, black ; all the pointed feathers are shafted with
black ; whole upper parts, dark blackish brown ; wings, black ;
tail, rounded, long, of a white or pale cream colour, minutely
sprinkled with specks of ash and dusky, and ending in a broad
band of deep dark brown, of nearly one-third its length; chin,
cheeks, and throat, black; whole lower parts, a deep dark brown,
except the vent and inside of the thighs, which are white,
stained with brown; legs, thickly covered to the feet with
brownish white down or feathers ; claws, black, very large,
sharp, and formidable, the hind one full two inches long.

The ring-tail eagle is found in Russia, Switzerland, Germany,
France, Scotland, and the northern parts of America. As
Marco Polo, in his description of the customs of the Tartars,
seems to allude to this species, it may be said to inhabit the
whole circuit of the arctic regions of the globe. The golden
eagle, on the contrary, is said to be found only in the more
warm and temperate countries of the ancient continent.*
Later discoveries, however, have ascertained it to be also an
inhabitant of the United States.

SEA EAGLE. (Falco ossifragus.)
PLATE LV.—Fic. 2.

Arct, Zool. p. 194, No. 86.—Linn. Syst. 124.—Lath. i. 30.—L’Orfraie, Buff. i.
112, pl. 3, Pl. enl. 12, 415.—Br. Zool. i. No. 44.—Bewick, i. 53.—Turt. Syst.
p. 144.—Peale’s Museum, No. 80.

HALIGETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS.—Savicny.+
Bald Eagle, Falco leucocephalus, young, Ord’s reprint.
Tuts eagle inhabits the same countries, frequents the same
situations, and lives on the same kind of food, as the bald
eagle, with whom it is often seen in company. It resembles

* Buffon, vol. i. p. 56, Trans.
+ See note to the adult, in this Volume, p. 89, for synoymns, &c.

312 SHA EAGLE.

this last so much in figure, size, form of the bill, legs, and
claws, and is so often seen associating with it, both along the
Atlantic coast and in the vicinity of our lakes and large rivers,
that I have strong suspicions, notwithstanding ancient and
very respectable authorities to the contrary, of its being the
same species, only in a different stage of colour.

That several years elapse before the young of the bald eagle
receive the white head, neck, and tail, and that, during the
intermediate period, their plumage strongly resembles that of
the sea eagle, I am satisfied from my own observation on
three several birds kept by persons of Philadelphia. One of
these, belonging to the late Mr Enslen, collector of natural
subjects for the Emperor of Austria, was confidently believed
by him to be the black or sea eagle until the fourth year,
when the plumage on the head, tail, and tail-coverts began
gradually to become white ; the bill also exchanged its dusky
hue for that of yellow ; and, before its death, this bird, which
I frequently examined, assumed the perfect dress of the full-
plumaged bald eagle. Another circumstance, corroborating
these suspicions, is the variety that occurs in the colours of
the sea eagle. Scarcely two of these are found to be alike,
their plumage being more or less diluted with white. In
some the chin, breast, and tail-coverts are of a deep brown ;
in others nearly white; and in all evidently unfixed, and
varying toa pure white. ‘Their place and manner of build-
ing, on high trees, in the neighbourhood of lakes, large rivers,
or the ocean, exactly similar to the bald eagle, also strengthens
the belief. At the celebrated Cataract of Niagara, great
numbers of these birds, called there gray eagles, are continually
seen sailing high and majestically over the watery tumult, in
company with the bald eagles, eagerly watching for the
mangled carcasses of those animals that have been hurried
over the precipice, and cast up on the rocks below by the
violence of the rapids. These are some of the circumstances
on which my suspicions of the identity of those two birds are
founded. In some future part of the work, I hope to be able
to speak with more certainty on this subject.

SEA EAGLE. 313

Were we disposed, after the manner of some, to substitute
for plain matters of fact all the narratives, conjectures, and
fanciful theories of travellers, voyagers, compilers, &c., relative
to the history of the eagle, the volumes of these writers, from
Aristotle down to his admirer, the Count de Buffon, would
furnish abundant materials for this purpose. But the author
of the present work feels no ambition to excite surprise and
astonishment at the expense of truth, or to attempt to elevate
and embellish his subject beyond the plain realities of nature.
On this account he cannot assent to the assertion, however
eloquently made, in the celebrated parallel drawn by the
French naturalist between the lion and the eagle, viz., that
the eagle, like the lion, “disdains the possession of that pro-
perty which is not the fruit of his own industry, and rejects
with contempt the prey which is not procured by his own
exertions ;” since the very reverse of this is the case in the
conduct of the bald and the sea eagle, who, during the summer
months, are the constant robbers and plunderers of the osprey,
or fish hawk, by whose industry alone both are usually fed.
Nor that, “ though famished for want of prey, he disdains to
jeed on carrion,” since we have ourselves seen the bald eagle,
while seated on the dead carcass of a horse, keep a whole
flock of vultures at a respectful distance until he had fully
sated his own appetite. The Count has also taken great pains
to expose the ridiculous opinion of Pliny, who conceived that
the ospreys formed no separate race, and that they proceeded
from the intermixture of different species of eagles, the young
of which were not ospreys, only sea eagles ; “‘ which sea eagles,”
says he, ‘‘ breed small vultures, which engender great vultures,
that have not the power of propagation.” * But, while labour-
ing to confute these absurdities, the Count himself, in his
belief of an occasional intercourse between the osprey and the
sea eagle, contradicts all actual observation, and one of the
most common and fixed laws of nature ; for it may be safely
asserted, that there is no habit more universal among the

* Hist, Nat. lib. x. c. 3.

314 SEA EAGLE.

feathered race, in their natural state, than that chastity of
attachment which confines the amours of individuals to those
of their own species only. That perversion of nature pro-
duced by domestication is nothing to the purpose. In no
instance have I ever observed the slightest appearance of a
contrary conduct. Even in those birds which never build a
nest for themselves, nor hatch their young, nor even pair, but
live in a state of general concubinage,—such as the cuckoo of
the old, and the cow bunting of the new continent,—there is
no instance of a deviation from this striking habit. I cannot,
therefore, avoid considering the opinion above alluded to, that
“the male osprey, by coupling with the female sea eagle,
produces sea eagles; and that the female osprey, by pairing
with the male sea eagle, gives birth to ospreys,” * or fish
hawks, as altogether unsupported by facts, and contradicted
by the constant and universal habits of the whole feathered
race in their state of nature.

The sea eagle is said by Salerne to build on the loftiest
oaks a very broad nest, into which it drops two large eggs,
that are quite round, exeeedingly heavy, and of a dirty white
colour. Of the precise time of building we have no account ;
but something may be deduced from the following circum-
stance :—In the month of May, while on a shooting excursion
along the sea-coast, not far from Great Ege Harbour, accom-
panied by my friend Mr Ord, we were conducted about a mile
into the woods to see an eagle’s nest. On approaching within
a short distance of the place, the bird was perceived slowly
retreating from the nest, which, we found, occupied the centre
of the top of a very large yellow pine. The woods were cut
down and cleared off for several rods around the spot, which,
from this circumstance, and the stately, erect trunk, and large
crooked, wriggling branches of the tree, surmounted by a
black mass of sticks and brush, had a very singular and
picturesque effect. Our conductor had brought an axe with
him, to cut down the tree; but my companion, anxious to

* Buffon, vol. i. p. 80, Trans.

SEA EAGLE. 315

save the eges or young, insisted on ascending to the nest,
which he fearlessly performed, while we stationed ourselves
below, ready to defend him in case of an attack from the old
eagles. No opposition, however, was offered ; and on reach-
ing the nest, it was found, to our disappointment, empty. It
was built of large sticks, some of them several feet in length ;
within which lay sods of earth, sedge, grass, dry reeds, &.,
piled to the height of five or six feet, by more than four in
breadth. It was well lined with fresh pine tops, and had
little or no concavity. Under this lining lay the recent exuviee
of the young of the present year, such as scales of the quill-
feathers, down, &c. Our guide had passed this place late in
February, at which time both male and female were making
a great noise about the nest; and, from what we afterwards
learnt, it is highly probable it contained young, even at that
early time of the season.

A few miles from this is another eagle’s nest, built also on
a pine tree, which, from the information received from the
proprietor of the woods, had been long the residence of this
family of eagles. The tree on which the nest was originally
built, had been, for time immemorial, or at least ever since he
remembered, inhabited by these eagles. Some of his sons cut
down this tree to procure the young, which were two in
number; and the eagles soon after commenced building
another nest on the very next adjoining tree, thus exhibiting
a very particular attachment to the spot. The eagles, he says,
make it a kind of home and lodging piace in all seasons.
This man asserts that the gray or sea eagles are the young
of the bald eagle, and that they are several years old before
they begin to breed. It does not drive its young from the
nest, like the osprey or fish hawk, but continues to feed them
long after they leave it.

The bird from which the figure in the plate was drawn, and
which is reduced to one-third the size of life, measured three
feet in length, and upwards of seven feet in extent. The bill
was formed exactly like that of the bald eagle, but of a dusky

316 SEA EAGLE.

brown colour; cere and legs, bright yellow ; the latter, as in
the bald eagle, feathered a little below the knee; irides, a
bright straw colour; head above, neck, and back, streaked
with light brown, deep brown, and white, the plumage being
white, tipt and centred with brown ; scapulars, brown ; lesser
wing-coverts, very pale, intermixed with white; primaries,
black, their shafts brownish white; rump, pale brownish
white; tail, rounded, somewhat longer than the wings, when
shut, ‘brown on the exterior vanes, the inner ones white,
sprinkled with dirty brown; throat, breast, and belly, white,
dashed and streaked with different tints of brown and pale
yellow ; vent, brown, tipt with white ; femorals, dark brown,
tipt with lighter ; auriculars, brown, forming a bar from below
the eye backwards; plumage of the neck, long, narrow, and
pointed, as is usual with eagles, and of a brownish colour, tipt
with white.

The sea eagle is said, by various authors, to hunt at night
as well as during the day, and that, besides fish, it feeds on
chickens, birds, hares, and other animals. It is also said to
catch fish during the night ; and that the noise of its plung-
ing into the water is heard at a great distance. But, in the
descriptions of these writers, this bird has been so frequently
confounded with the osprey, as to leave little doubt that the
habits and manners of the one have been often attributed to
both, and others added that are common to neither.

[The following addition is made by Mr Ord, but I have in
many instances found the reverse. I have had the golden
eagle and peregrine perfectly tame, and even playful. Three
sea eagles with me now are very savage :—“ The bald eagle
may be tamed, so as to become quite sociable, permitting one
to handle it at pleasure, and even seeming pleased with such
familiarities. The hawks, on the contrary, are apt to retain
their savage nature under the kindest treatment ; and, like
the cat, will frequently remind one, on the slightest provoca-
tion, to beware of those powerful weapons with which nature
has provided them.”]

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ESQUIMAUX CURLEW By;

ESQUIMAUX CURLEW. (Scolopax borealis.)
PLATE LVI.—Fie. 1.

Arct. Zool. p. 461, No. 364.—Lath. iii.—Turt. Syst. p. 392.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 4003.

NUMENIUS BOREALIS.—ULatTuaM.*

Numenius borealis, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 712.—Bonap. Synop. No. 244.—WNorth.
Zool. ii. p. 378, pl. 55.

In prosecuting our researches among the feathered tribes
of this extensive country, we are at length led to the shores
of the ocean, where a numerous and varied multitude, sub-
sisting on the gleanings of that vast watery magazine of nature,
invite our attention, and, from their singularities and numbers,
promise both amusement and instruction. These we shall, as
usual, introduce in the order we chance to meet with them in
their native haunts. Individuals of various tribes thus pro-
miscuously grouped together, the peculiarities of each will
appear more conspicuous and striking, and the detail of their
histories less formal, as well as more interesting.

The Esquimaux curlew, or, as it is called by our gunners
on the sea-coast, the short-billed curlew, is peculiar to the
new continent. Mr Pennant, indeed, conceives it to be a
mere variety of the English whimbrel (S. phwopus); but,
among the great numbers of these birds which I have myself
shot and examined, I have never yet met with one corre-
sponding to the descriptions given of the whimbrel, the
colours and markings being different, the bill much more

* This species has been by some supposed to be identical with the WV.
pheopus of Europe, but I believe later investigations have proved that
it is entirely distinct, the whimbrel having not yet been found to
inhabit any part of America. The“ Northern Zoology” mentions it as
inhabiting the barren lands within the arctic circle in summer, where it
feeds on insects and the berries of Hmpetrum nigrum. The Copper
Indians believe that this bird, and some others, betray the approach
of anenemy. ‘Their nests and habits while breeding resemble those of
the common curlew.—Ep.

318 ESQUIMAUX CURLEW.

bent, and nearly an inch and a half longer ; and the manners,
in certain particulars, very different : these reasons have deter-
mined its claim to that of an independent species.

The short-billed curlew arrives in large flocks on the sea-
coast of New Jersey early in May, from the south, frequents
the salt marshes, muddy shores and inlets, feeding on small
worms and minute shell-fish. They are most commonly seen
on mud flats at low water, in company with various other
waders, and at high water roam along the marshes. They
fly high, and with great rapidity. A few are seen in June,
and as late as the beginning of July, when they generally
move off towards the north. Their appearance on these occa-
sions Is very interesting : they collect together from the marshes
as if by premeditated design, rise to a great height in the air,
usually about an hour before sunset, and forming in one vast
line, keep up a constant whistling on their way to the north,
as if conversing with one another to render the journey more
agreeable. Their flight is then more slow and regular, that
the feeblest may keep up with the line of march; while the
elittering of their beautifully speckled wings, sparkling in the
sun, produces altogether a very pleasing spectacle.

In the month of June, while the dew-berries are ripe, these
birds sometimes frequent the fields, in company with the
long-billed curlews, where brambles abound ; soon get very
fat, and are at that time excellent eating. Those who wish
to shoot them fix up a shelter of brushwood in the middle
of the field, and by that means kill great numbers. In the
early part of spring, and indeed during the whole time that
they frequent the marshes feeding on shell-fish, they are
much less esteemed for the table.

Pennant informs us that the Esquimaux curlews “ were
seen in flocks innumerable on the hills about Chatteaux Bay,
on the Labrador coast, from August the 9th to September the
6th, when they all disappeared, being on their way from their
northern breeding place.” He adds, ‘‘ They kept on the open
grounds, fed on the Himpetrum nigrum, and were very fat and

“a

ESQUIMAUX CURLEW. 319

delicious. They arrive at Hudson’s Bay in April or early in
May ; pair and breed to the north of Albany Fort among the
woods ; return in August to the marshes, and all disappear in
September.” * About this time they return in accumulated
numbers to the shores of New Jersey, whence they finally
depart for the south early in November.

The Esquimaux curlew is eighteen inches long, and thirty-
two inches in extent; the bill, which is four inches and a half
long, is black towards the point, and a pale purplish flesh
colour near the base; upper part of the head, dark brown,
divided by a narrow stripe of brownish white ; over each eye
extends a broad line of pale drab; iris, dark coloured ; hind
part of the neck, streaked with dark brown ; fore part and
whole breast, very pale brown ; upper part of the body, pale
drab, centred and barred with dark brown, and edged with
spots of white on the exterior vanes; three first primaries,
black, with white shafts; rump and tail-coverts, barred with
dark brown ; belly, white ; vent, the same, marked with zigzag
lines of brown ; whole lining of the wing, beautifully barred
with brown on a dark cream ground; legs and naked thighs,
a pale lead colour.

The figure of this bird, and of all the rest on the same plate,
are reduced to exactly one half the size of life.

[Mr Ord adds, in his reprint, “ I have some doubts whether
or not this species is the Hsquimaux curlew (NV. borealis) of
Dr Latham, as this ornithologist states his bird to be only
thirteen inches in leneth, and in breadth twenty-one ; whilst
that above described is eighteen inches long, and thirty-two
in breadth. Besides, Latham’s species has a bill of two inches
in length, and the bill of mine is four inches and a half long.
I am aware, however, that the bills of some birds increase
greatly with age; and if it should turn out hereafter that the
two birds are identical, the specimen from which Latham took
his description must have been quite immature.” |

* Arct. Zool. vol. ii. p. 163 ; Phil. Trans. lxii. 411.

320 RED-BACKED SANDPIPER.

RED-BACKED SANDPIPER. (Yringa alpina.)
PLATE LVI.—Fie. 2.

Arct. Zool. p. 476, No. 391.—Bewick, ii. p. 113.—La Brunette, Buff. vii. 493. —
Peale’s Museum, No. 4094.

TRINGA ALPINA.—PENNANT.*
Dunlin, Mont. Orn. Dicf.—The Dunlin, Bew. Br. Birds, ii. p. 113.—Purre, Id.
ii. p. 115.—Bécasseau brunette ou variable, Zemm ii. 612.—Tringa alpina,

Flem. Br. Zool. p. 108.—Bonap. Synop. p. 25.—Tringa alpina, the American
Dunlin, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 383.

Tuts bird inhabits both the old and new continents, being
known in England by the name of the Dunlin, and in the
United States, along the shores of New Jersey, by that of the

* This species is again figured, on the next plate, in the plumage
of the winter, and the decided change undergone at the different ages
and seasons has caused great multiplication and confusion among the
synonyms. Wilson’s two figures show very well the distinctions
between the nuptial dress and that of winter; and, in the bird of the
first year, the plumage assumes a ruddy tinge on the upper parts, but
wants the greater part of the black, so conspicuous during the love
season,

On the coasts of Great Britain, the purre is the most common of
the whole race, and may generally be met with, no matter what is the
character of the shore. Before they have been much driven about and
annoyed, they are also one of the most familiar. During winter, the
flocks are sometimes immense, and will allow a person to approach
very near, looking, and running a few steps, or stretching their wings
in preparation for flight, listlessly, and indicative of little alarm ; a few
shots, however, render them as timorous and wary as they were before
careless. In spring, they separate into pairs, when some perform a mi-
eration to a considerable extent northward, while others retire to the
nearer marshes and sea-merses, a few to the shores of inland lakes, and
still fewer to the higher inland muirs. Having there performed the
duties of incubation, they return again in autumn to the shore, where
they may be found in small parties, the amount of the broods, and
which gradually congregate as the season advances and more distant
travellers arrive, until many hundreds are thus joined. Their nests
are formed. beneath or at the side of any small bush or tuft of grass,
rather neatly scraped, and with a few straws of grass round the sides.
The male is generally in attendance, perched on some near elevation,

RED-BACKED SANDPIPER. il

Red-back. Its residence here is but transient, chiefly in April
and May, while passing to the arctic regions to breed, and
in September and October, when on its return southward to

and, on any danger approaching, runs round, uttering, at quick inter-
vals, his shrill monotonous whistle. The female, when raised from the
nest, flutters off for a few yards, and then assumes the same manners
with the male. The young sit and squat among the grass or reeds,
and at that time the parents will come within two yards of the person
in search of them. The purre seems extensively distributed over both
the European and American continents. I have not, however, received
it from the Asiatic side, or any part of India, where so many of this
tribe are commonly found.

The genus Pelinda has been instituted and adopted by several
naturalists for the purre, the little sandpiper, and a few others, with
the exclusion of the pigmy curlew and knots. Though an advocate,
generally, for subdivisions, wherever any character can be seized upon,
I cannot reconcile that of these birds, I can fix upon no character
which is not equally applicable ; and the habits, the changes of plum-
age, and the form, are so similar, that, with the exception of modifica-
tions essential to every group, they compose one whole. The differences
in form will be noticed under the respective species; and, for the present,
I prefer retaining these birds under the generic name of Tinga.

The following species, not noticed by Wilson, have been added to the
American list by different ornithologists :—

T. Schinzvi, Breh. On the authority of Bonaparte, identical with
the Pelinda cinclus var. of Say’s expedition to the Rocky Mountains,
and met with by the Arctic Expedition on the borders of the lakes
which skirt the Saskatchewan plains. So nearly allied to 7. alpina,
as to be confounded with it ; differs in size, and the distribution of
markings.

Tringa pectoralis, Bonap.; Pelinda pectoralis of Say. This seems to
have been first noticed in the valuable notes to Major Laing’s expedition
to the Rocky Mountains. The following description is there given by
Say :—

P. pectoralis, Say. Bill, black, reddish yellow at base; upper
mandible, with a few indented punctures near the tip; head above,
black, plumage margined with ferruginous, a distinct brown line from
the eye to the upper mandible ; cheeks and neck beneath, cinereous,
very slightly tinged with rufous, and lineate with blackish ; orbits and
lineover the eye, white ; chin, white; neck above, dusky, plumage
margined with cinereous ; scapulars, interscapulars, and wing-coverts,
black, margined with ferruginous, and near the exterior tips with
whitish ; primaries, dusky, slightly edged with whitish ; outer quill-

VOL, II. xX

322 RED-BACKED SANDPIPER.

winter quarters. During their stay, they seldom collect in
separate flocks by themselves, but mix with various other
species of strand birds, among whom they are rendered con-
spicuous by the red colour of the upper part of their plumage.
They frequent the muddy flats and shores of the salt marshes
at low water, feeding on small worms and other insects, which
generally abound in such places. In the month of May they
are extremely fat.

This bird is said to inhabit Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia,
the Alps of Siberia, and, in its migrations, the coasts of the
Caspian Sea.* It has not, till now, been recognised by natu-
ralists as inhabiting this part of North America. Wherever
its breeding place may be, it probably begins to lay at a late
period of the season, as, in numbersof females which I examined
on the Ist of June, the eggs were no larger than grains of
mustard seed.

shaft white; back (beneath the interscapulars), rump, and tail-coverts,
black, immaculate ; tail-feathers, dusky, margined with white at tip,
two intermediate ones longest, acute, attaining the tip of the wings,
black, edged with ferruginous ; breast, venter, vent, and inferior tail- .
coverts, white, plumage blackish at base; sides, white, the plumage
towards the tail slightly lineate with dusky; feet, greenish yellow;
toes, divided to the base ; length, nearly nine inches ; bill, 11-8.

T, Douglasii, Swainson. Described in the “ Northern Zoology,” from
a specimen killed on the Saskatchewan, and is not uncommon in the
Fur Countries up to the 60th parallel. The authors express a kind of
doubt regarding this species, having been unable to compare it with a
specimen of Bonaparte’s 7’. himantopus ; but mention the tail as even
with the central feathers alone, longest, and not barred with ferrugi-
nous ; with chestnut coloured ear-feathers, and somewhat smaller in size.

To these nearly undescribed species, the Prince of Musignano men-
tions in his catalogue, Z. Temminckwi, Leisler; TZ. minuta, Leisler ;
Numenius pygmeus, Latham ; the Tringa platyrhyncha, Temminck, and
pigmy curlew of our shores; and the Z. maritima, Brunnich, our
purple sandpiper. The latter has been met with by most of the late
arctic expeditions, and breeds abundantly on Melville Island and the
shores of Hudson’s Bay, and 7’. subarquata, Becasseau corcoli, Temm. ;
and we may add, the Z. rufescens of Vieillot, lately taken in this
country.— Ep.

* Pennant.

SEMI-PALMATED SNIPE. 323

Length of the red-back, eight inches and a half; extent,
fifteen inches; bill, black, longer than the head (which would
seem to rank it with the snipes), slightly bent, grooved on
the upper mandible, and wrinkled at the base ; crown, back,
and scapulars, bright reddish rust, spotted with black; wing-
coverts, pale olive; quills, darker; the first tipt, the latter
. crossed with white ; front, cheeks, hind head, and sides of the
neck, quite round; also the breast, grayish white, marked
with small specks of black ; belly, white, marked with a broad
crescent of black; tail, pale olive, the two middle feathers
centred with black; legs and feet, ashy black; toes, divided
to their origin, and bordered with a slightly scalloped mem-
brane ; irides, very dark.

The males and females are nearly alike in one respect, both
differing greatly in colour, even at the same season, probably
owing to difference of age; some being of a much brighter
red than others, and the plumage dotted with white. In the
month of September many. are found destitute of the black
crescent on the belly ; these have been conjectured to be
young birds.

SEHMI-PALMATED SNIPE. (Scolopax semipalmata.)
PLATE LVI.—Fie. 3.

Arct. Zool. p. 469, No. 380.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3942.
TOTANUS SEMIPALMATUS.—TEMMINCK.*

Chevalier semipalmé, Totanus semipalmatus, Zemm. Man. @Orn. ii. p. 637.—
Totanus crassirostris, Vieill. winter plumage, auct.. Bonap.—Bonap. Cat.
p. 26.

Tus is one of the most noisy and noted birds that inhabit
our salt marshes insummer. Itscommon name is the Willet,

* Wilson has figured the winter dress of this curious species, and the
Prince of Musignano has signified his intention of representing its
other states. It is admitted as an accidental straggler among the
species of Europe by Temminck.—Ep.

324 SEMI-PALMATED SNIPE,

by which appellation it is universally known along the shores
of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland,—in all
of which places it breeds in great numbers.

The willet is peculiar to America. It arrives from the
south on the shores of the middle States about the 20th April
or beginning of May, and from that time to the last of July,
its loud and shrill reiterations of pell-awill-willet, pill-awill-willet, .
resound almost incessantly along the marshes, and may be
distinctly heard at the distance of more than half a mile.
About the 20th of May, the willets generally begin to lay.*
Their nests are built on the ground, among the grass of the
salt marshes, pretty well towards the land or cultivated fields,
and are composed of wet rushes and coarse grass, forming a
slight hollow or cavity in a tussock. This nest is gradually
increased during the period of laying and sitting to the height
of five or six inches. The eggs are usually four in number,
very thick at the great end, and tapering to a narrower point
at the other than those of the common hen; they measure two
inches and one-eighth in length, by one and a half in their
ereatest breadth,and are of a dark dingy olive, largely blotched
with blackish brown, particularly at the great end. In some,
the ground colour has a tinge of green ; in others, of bluish.
They are excellent eating, as I have often experienced when
obliged to dine on them in my hunting excursions through the
salt marshes. The young are covered with a gray-coloured
down ; run off soon after they leave the shell; and are led
and assisted in their search of food by the mother, while the
male keeps a continual watch around for their safety.

The anxiety and affection manifested by these birds for their
egos and young are truly interesting. A person no sooner
enters the marshes, than he is beset by the willets, fying around
and skimming over his head, vociferating with great violence
their common cry of pill-will-willet, and uttering at times a
loud clicking note as he approaches nearer to their nest. As

* From some unknown cause, the height of laying of these birds is
said to be full two weeks later than it was twenty years ago.

SEMI-PALMATED SNIPE. 325

they occasionally alight, and slowly shut their long white
wings speckled with black, they have a mournful note expres-
sive of great tenderness. During the term of incubation, the
female often resorts to the sea-shore, where, standing up to the
belly in water, she washes and dresses her plumage, seeming
to enjoy great satisfaction from these frequent immersions. She
is also at other times seen to wade more in the water than
most of her tribe ; and when wounded in the wing, will take
to the water without hesitation, and swims tolerably well.

The eggs of the willet, in every instance which has come
under my observation, are placed, during incubation, in an
almost upright position, with the large end uppermost; and
this appears to be the constant practice of several other species
of birds that breed in these marshes. During the laying
season, the crows are seen roaming over the marshes in search
of eggs, and wherever they come, spread consternation and
alarm among the willets, who, in united numbers, attack and
pursue them with loudclamours. Itis worthy of remark, that
among the various birds that breed in these marshes, a mutual
respect is paid to each other’s eggs; and it is only from in-
truders from the land side, such as crows, jays, weasels, foxes,
minx, and man himself, that these affectionate tribes have
most to dread.

The willet subsists chiefly on small shell-fish, marine
worms, and other aquatic insects; in search of which it
regularly resorts to the muddy shores and flats at low water,
its general rendezvous being the marshes.

This bird has a summer and also a winter dress, its colours
differing so much in these seasons as scarcely to appear to be
the same species. Our figure in the plate exhibits it in its
spring and summer plumage, which in a good specimen is as
follows :—

Length, fifteen inches; extent, thirty inches; upper parts,
dark olive brown; the feathers, streaked down the centre, and
crossed with waving lines of black ; wing-coverts, light olive
ash, and the whole upper parts sprinkled with touches of

326 GREAT MARBLED GODWIT.

dull yellowish white; primaries, black, white at the root half;
secondaries, white, bordered with brown ; rump, dark brown;
tail, rounded, twelve feathers pale olive, waved with bars of
black ; tail-coverts, white, barred with olive; bill, pale lead
colour, becoming black towards the tip; eye, very black ; chin,
white ; breast, beautifully mottled with transverse spots of olive
on a cream ground; belly and vent, white, the last barred
with olive; legs and feet, pale lead colour ; toes, half webbed.

Towards the fall, when these birds associate in large flocks,
they become of a pale dun colour above, the plumage being
shafted with dark brown, and the tail white, or nearly so.
At this season they are extremely fat, and esteemed excellent
eating. Experienced gunners always select the lightest col-
oured ones from a flock, as being uniformly the fattest.

The female of this species is generally larger than the male.
In the months of October and November, they gradually dis-
appear.

GREAT MARBLED GODWIT. (Scolopaa jedoa.)
PLATE LVI.—Fic. 4, FEMALE.

Arct. Zool. p. 465, No. 371.—La Barge Rousse de Baie d’Hudson, Buff. vii. 507.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 4019.

IIMOSA FEDOA.—VIieEm1xor.
Limosa fedoa, Ord’s edit. of Wils.—Bonap. Synop. p. 328.

Tis is another transient visitant of our sea-coasts in spring
and autumn, to and from its breeding place in the north.
Our gunners call it the strazght-billed curlew, and sometimes
the ved curlew. It is a shy, cautious, and watchful bird; yet
so strongly are they attached to each other, that on wound-
ing one in a flock, the rest are immediately arrested in their
flight, making so many circuits over the spot where it lies
fluttering and screaming, that the sportsman often makes great
destruction among them. Like the curlew, they may also be

GREAT MARBLED GODIVIT, 327

enticed within shot by imitating their call or whistle, but
can seldom be approached without some such manceuvre.
They are much less numerous than the short-billed curlews,
with whom, however, they not unfrequently associate. They
are found among the salt marshes in May, and for some time
in June, and also on their return in October and November ;
at which last season they are usually fat, and in high esteem
for the table.

The female of this bird having been described by several
writers as a distinct species from the male, it has been thought
proper to figure the former; the chief difference consists in
the undulating bars of black with which the breast of the
male is marked, and which are wanting in the female.

The male of the great marbled godwit is nineteen inches
Jong, and thirty-four inches in extent ; the bill is nearly six
inches in length, a little turned up towards the extremity,
where it is black, the base is of a pale purplish flesh colour ;
chin and upper part of the throat, whitish ; head and neck,
mottled with dusky brown and black on a ferruginous ground ;
breast, barred with wavy lines of black; back and scapulars,
black, marbled with pale brown ; rump and tail-coverts, of a
very light brown, barred with dark brown; tail, even, except
the two middle feathers, which are a little the longest; wings,
pale ferruginous, elegantly marbled with dark brown, the four
first primaries black on the outer edge; whole lining and
lower parts of the wings, bright ferruginous ; belly and vent,
light rust colour, with a tinge of lake.

The female differs in wanting the bars of black on the
breast. The bill does not acquire its full length before the
third year.

About fifty different species of the scolopax genus are
enumerated by naturalists. These are again by some sepa-
rated into three classes or sub-genera : viz., the straight-billed,
or snipes; those with bills bent downwards, or the curlews; —
and those whose bills are slightly turned upwards, or godwits.
The whole are a shy, timid, and solitary tribe, frequenting

328 TURNSTONE.

those vast marshes, swamps, and morasses that frequently
prevail in the vicinity of the ocean and on the borders of
large rivers. They are also generally migratory, on account
of the periodical freezing of those places in the northern
regions where they procure their food. The godwits are
particularly fond of salt marshes, and are rarely found in
countries remote from the sea.

TURNSTONE. (Zringa interpres.)
PLATE LVII.—Fre. 1.

Hebridal Sandpiper, Arct. Zool. p. 472, No. 382.—Le Tourne-pierre, Buff. vii.
130, Pl. enl. 130.—Bewick, ii. p. 119, 121.—Catesby, i. 72.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 4044.

STREPSILAS INTERPRES,—I.xLIGER.*

Tourne-pierre 4 collier (Strepsilas collaris), Zemm. Man. @ Orn. ii. p. 553.—Strep-
silas interpres, Flem. Br. Zool. p. 110.—Worth. Zool. ii. p. 371.—Strepsilas
collaris, Bonap. Synop.

Tus beautifully variegated species is common to both Europe
and America, consequently extends its migrations far to the
north. It arrives from the south on the shores of New Jersey
in April; leaves them early in June ; is seen on its return to
the south in October; and continues to be occasionally seen
until the commencement of cold weather, when it disappears
for the season. It is rather a scarce species in this part of the

* This is the only species of turnstone known, and it is apparently
distributed over the whole world. Its breeding places, accerding to
the “ Northern Zoology,” are the shores of Hudson’s Bay and the Arctic
Sea, probably in the most northern districts. On the Scotch and
English coasts they arrive in small flocks about the beginning of August,
and, as the season advances, congregate into larger assemblies. The
greater proportion of these are still in their young dress, and it is not
until the ensuing spring that this is completely changed ; in this state
they have been frequently described as a second species. Early in
spring, a few straggling birds, in perfect breeding plumage, may be
observed on most of our shores, which have either been left at the
general migration, or remain during the year in a state of barrenness.
It is then that the finest specimens for stuffing are obtained.—Eb.

LALAPUDS) PASVILG PIYE MALT PEYJPY YOY F BINT YT > adidpun sy painojo7 YsKgZ -auojsusny 7

SOUTH 4 Y peanidug

“YOST YY FA] PLOT UDY. UML
=
eccsie - ONS a 3 Be = = ARH oo SOOO a ~

SESS ees = : -

TURNSTONE. 329

world, and of a solitary disposition, seldom mingling among
the large flocks of other sandpipers ; but either coursing the
sands alone, or in company with two or three of its own species.
On the coast of Cape May and Egg Harbour this bird is well
known by the name of the horse-foot snipe, from its living, dur-
ing the months of May and June, almost wholly on the eggs,
or spawn, of the great king crab, called here by the common
people the horse-foot. This animal is the JJonoculus poly-
phemus of entomologists. Its usual size is from twelve to
fifteen inches in breadth, by two feet in length, though some-
times it is found much larger. The head, or forepart, is semi-
circular, and convex above, covered with a thin, elastic, shelly
case. ‘The lower side is concave, where it is furnished with
feet and claws resembling those of a crab. The posterior
extremity consists of a long, hard, pointed, dagger-like tail,
by means of which, when overset by the waves, the animal
turns itself on its belly again. The male may be distin-
guished from the female by his two large claws having only a
single hook each, instead of the forceps of the female. In the
Bay of Delaware, below Egg Island, and in what is usually
called Maurice River Cove, these creatures seem to have
formed one of their principal settlements. The bottom of
this cove is generally a soft mud, extremely well suited to
their accommodation. Here they are resident, burying them-
selves in the mud during the winter ; but, early in the month
of May, they approach the shore in multitudes, to obey the
great law of nature, in depositing their eggs within the influ-
ence of the sun, and are then very troublesome to the fisher-
men, who can scarcely draw a seine for them, they are so
numerous. Being of slow motion, and easily overset by the
surf, their dead bodies cover the shore in heaps, and in such
numbers, that for ten miles one might walk on them without
touching the ground.

The hogs from the neighbouring country are regularly
driven down, every spring, to feed on them, which they do
with great avidity ; though by this kind of food their flesh

330 TURNSTONE.

acquires a strong disagreeable fishy taste. Even the small
turtles, or terrapins, so eagerly sought after by our epicures,
contract so rank a taste by feeding on the spawn of the king
crab, as to be at such times altogether unpalatable. This
spawn may sometimes be seen lying in hollows and eddies
in bushels, while the snipes and sandpipers, particularly the
turnstone, are hovering about feasting on the delicious fare.
The dead bodies of the animals themselves are hauled up in
wagons for manure, and when placed at the hills of corn in
planting time, are said to enrich the soil, and add greatly to_
the increase of the crop.

The turnstone derives its name from another singularity it
possesses,"of turning over with its bill small stones and pebbles
in search of various marine worms and insects. At this sort
of work it is exceedingly dexterous ; and even when taken
and domesticated, is said to retain the same habit.* Its bill
seems particularly well constructed for this purpose, differing
from all the rest of its tribe, and very much resembling in
shape that of the common nuthatch. We learn from Mr
Pennant that these birds inhabit Hudson’s Bay, Greenland,
and the arctic flats of Siberia, where they breed, wandering
southerly in autumn. It is said to build on the ground, and
to lay four eggs, of an olive colour, spotted with black, and to
inhabit the isles of the Baltic during summer

The turnstone flies with a loud twittering note, and runs
with its wings lowered; but not with the rapidity of others
of its tribe. It examines more completely the same spot of
ground, and, like some of the woodpeckers, will remain search-
ing in the same place, tossing the stones and pebbles from side
to side for a considerable time.

These birds vary greatly in colour ; scarcely two individuals
are to be found alike in markings. These varieties are most
numerous in autumn when the young birds are about, and are
less frequently met with in spring. The most perfect speci-
mens I have examined are as follows :—

* Catesby.

TURNSTONE, 331

Length eight inches and a half; extent, seventeen inches;
bill, blackish horn ; frontlet, space passing through the eyes,
and thence dropping down and joining the under mandible,
black, enclosing a spot of white ; crown, white, streaked with
black; breast, black, from whence it turns up half across the
neck ; behind the eye, aspot of black; upper part of the neck,
white, running down and skirting the black breast as far as
the shoulder ; upper part of the back, black, divided by a strip
of bright ferruginous ; scapulars, black, glossed with greenish,
and interspersed with rusty red ; whole back below this, pure
white, but hid by the scapulars; rump, black ; tail-coverts, .
white ; tail, rounded, white at the base half, thence black to
the extremity; belly and vent, white; wings, dark dusky,
crossed by two bands of white ; lower half of the lesser coverts,
ferruginous; legs and feet, a bright vermilion, or red lead ;
hind toe, standing inwards, and all of them edged with a
thick warty membrane. The male and female are alike
variable, and when in perfect plumage nearly resemble each
other.

Bewick, in his “ History of British Birds,” has figured and
described what he considers to be two species of turnstone ;
one of which, he says, is chiefly confined to the southern, and
the other to the northern parts of Great Britain. The diffe-
rence, however, between these two appears to be no greater
than commonly occurs among individuals of the same flock,
and evidently of the same species, in this country. As several
years probably elapse before these birds arrive at their com-
plete state of plumage, many varieties must necessarily appear,
according to the different ages of the individuals,

332 ASH-COLOURED SANDPIPER.

ASH-COLOUBRED SANDPIPER. (Tringa cinerea.)
PLATE LYII.—Ftie. 2.

Arct. Zool. p. 474, No. 386.—Bewick, ii. p. 102.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4060.
TRINGA CANUTUS.—LINNAZUS.—PLUMAGE OF THE YOUNG. *

Synonyms of young: Tringa calidris, Linn. i. 252.—Tringa neevia, Lath. Ind. Orn.
ii. 732.—Maubeche tachete, Bujff.—Freckled Sandpiper, Arct. Zool. ii. p. 480.

Tur regularly-disposed concentric semicircles of white and

dark brown that mark the upper parts of the plumage of this
species, distinguish it from all others, and give it a very neat
appearance. In activity it is superior to the preceding ; and
traces the flowing and recession of the waves along the sandy

* This beautiful sandpiper has also from its changes been described
under various names, and our author has well represented the states of
the young and summer plumage in his ash-coloured and red-breasted
sandpipers of the present plate. In the winter plumage of the adult,
the upper parts are of a uniform gray, and want the black and light
edges represented in fig. 2.

America and Europe seem the only countries of the Knot. I have
never seen it from India, but have a single specimen of a knot from
New Holland, very similar, and which I considered identical, until a
closer examination has led me to have doubts on the subject. Like the
other migratory species, they only appear on our coasts in autumn, on
their return with their broods, or more sparingly in spring, when on
their way north. The young possess a good deal of the rufous colour
on the under parts, which leaves them as the winter approaches. I
once met a large flock on the east side of Holy Island, in the month of
September, which were so tame as to allow me to kill as many as I
wanted with stones from the beach: it may have been on their first
arrival, when they were fatigued. I have a specimen, in full plumage,
killed by a boy on Portobello sands by the same means. In general
they are rather shy, and it is only in their wheeling round that a good
shot can be obtained. Before the severity of the winter sets in, they
are fat, and are sought after by persons who know them, for the table.

There is a peculiarity in the gregarious Zringe, and most of the
Charadriade, which is very nearly confined to these tribes,—the simul-
taneous flight, and the acting as it were by concert in their wheels and
evolutions. Among none is it more conspicuous than in this species ;
and every one who has been on the shore during winter, on a day

ASH-COLOURED SANDPIPER. 333

beach with great nimbleness, wading and searching among
the loosened particles for its favourite food, which is a small
thin oval bivalve shell-fish, of a white or pearl colour, and not
larger than the seed of an apple. These usually lie at a short
depth below the surface ; but in some places are seen at low
water in heaps, like masses of wet grain, in quantities of more
than a bushel together. During the latter part of summer
and autumn, these minute shell-fish constitute the food of
almost all those busy flocks that run with such activity along
the sands, among the flowing and retreating waves. They are
universally swallowed whole; but the action of the bird’s
stomach, assisted by the shells themselves, soon reduces them
toa pulp. If we may judge from their effects, they must be
extremely nutritious, for almost all those tribes that feed on
them are at this season mere lumps of fat. Digging for these
in the hard sand would be a work of considerable labour,
whereas, when the particles are loosened by the flowing of the
sea, the birds collect them with great ease and dexterity. It
is amusing to observe with what adroitness they follow and
elude the tumbling surf, while at the same time they seem
wholly intent on collecting their food.

The ash-coloured sandpiper, the subject of our present
account, inhabits both Europe and America. It has been
seen in great numbers on the Seal Islands near Chatteaux Bay ;
is said to continue the whole summer in Hudson’s Bay, and
breeds there. Mr Pennant suspects that it also breeds in
Denmark; and says, that they appear in vast flocks on the
Flintshire shore during the winter season.* With us they are
also migratory, being only seen in spring and autumn. They
cleaming and cloudy, may have seen the masses of these birds at a dis-
tance, when the whole were only visible, appear like a dark and swiftly
moving cloud, suddenly vanish, but in a second appear at some dis-
tance, glowing with a silvery light almost too intense to gaze upon,
the consequences of the simultaneous motions of the flock, at once
changing their position, and showing the dark gray of their backs, or

the pure white of their under parts.—Ep,
* Arctic Zoology, p. 474.

Bane ASH-COLOURED SANDPIPER.

are plump birds; and, by those accustomed to the sedgy taste
of this tribe, are esteemed excellent eating.

The length of this species is ten inches, extent twenty ; bill
black, straight, fluted to nearly its tip, and about an inch and
a half long; upper parts, brownish ash, each feather marked
near the tip with a narrow semicircle of dark brown, bounded
by another of white ; tail-coverts, white, marbled with olive ;
wing-quills, dusky, shafts, white ; greater coverts, black, tipt
with white; some of the primaries edged also with white ;
tail, plain pale ash, finely edged and tipt with white ; crown
and hind head, streaked with black, ash, and white; stripe
over the eye, cheeks, and chin, white, the former marked with
pale streaks of dusky, the latter pure; breast, white, thinly
specked with blackish; belly and vent, pure white; legs, a
dirty yellowish clay colour ; toes, bordered with a narrow, thick,
warty membrane ; hind toe, directed inwards, as in the turn-
stone ; claws and eye, black.

These birds vary a little in colour, some being considerably
darker above, others entirely white below ; but, in all, the con-
centric semicircles on the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts,
are conspicuous.

I think it probable that these birds become much lighter
coloured during the summer, from the circumstance of having
shot one late in the month of June at Cape May, which was
of a pale drab or dun colour. It was very thin and emaciated ;
and on examination appeared to have been formerly wounded,
which no doubt occasioned its remaining behind its com-
panions.

Early in December I examined the same coast every day
for nearly two weeks, without meeting with more than one
solitary individual of this species, although in October they
were abundant. How far to the southward they extend their
migrations, we have no facts that will enable us to ascertain,
though it is probable that the shores of the West India islands
afford them shelter and resources during our winter.

THE PURRE. 33

THE PURRE. (Tringa cinclus.)
PLATE LVII.—Fie. 3.

Linn. Syst. 251.—Arct. Zool. p. 475, No. 390.—Bewick, ii. p: 115.—L’ Alouette
de Mer, Buff. vii. 548.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4126.

TRINGA ALPINA.—PENNANT.

Ts is one of the most numerous of our strand birds, as they
are usually called, that frequent the sandy beach on the frontiers
of the ocean. In its habits it differs so little from the preced-
ine, that, except in being still more active and expert in run-
ning and searching among the sand on the reflux of the
waves, as it nimbly darts about for food, what has been said
of the former will apply equally to both, they being pretty
constant associates on these occasions.

The purre continues longer with us, both in spring and
autumn, than either of the two preceding; many of them
remain during the very severest of the winter, though the
greater part retire to the more genial regions of the south,
where I have seen them at such seasons, particularly on the
sea-coasts of both Carolinas, during the month of February,
in great numbers.

These birds, in conjunction with several others, sometimes
collect together in such flocks, as to seem, at a distance, a
large cloud of thick smoke, varying in form and appearance
every instant, while it performs its evolutions in air. As this
‘cloud descends and courses along the shores of the ocean, with
great rapidity, in a kind of waving serpentine flight, alter-
nately throwing its dark and white plumage to the eye, it
forms a very grand and interesting appearance. At such
times the gunners make prodigious slaughter among them ;
while, as the showers of their companions fall, the whole body
often alight, or descend to the surface with them, till the
sportsman is completely satiated with destruction. On some
of those occasions, while crowds of these victims are fluttering

336 THE PURRE.

along the sand, the small pigeon-hawk, constrained by
necessity, ventures to make a sweep among the dead in
presence of the proprietor, but as suddenly pays for his
temerity with his life. Such a tyrant is man, when vested
with power, and unrestrained by the dread of responsibility !

The purre is eight inches in length, and fifteen inches in
extent; the bill is black, straight, or slightly bent downwards,
about an inch and a half long, very thick at the base, and
tapering to a slender blunt point at the extremity; eye, very
small ; iris, dark hazel ; cheeks, gray ; line over the eye, belly,
and vent, white; back and scapulars, of an ashy brown,
marked here and there with spots of black, bordered with
bright ferruginous; sides of the rump, white ; tail-coverts,
olive, centred with black; chin, white; neck below, gray;
breast and sides, thinly marked with pale spots of dusky, in
some pure white; wings, black, edged and tipt with white ;
two middle tail-feathers, dusky, the rest, brown ash, edged
with white; legs and feet, black; toes, bordered with a very
narrow scalloped membrane. The usual broad band of white
crossing the wing forms a distinguishing characteristic of
almost the whole genus.

On examining more than a hundred of these birds, they
varied considerably in the black and ferruginous spots on the
back and scapulars ; some were altogether plain, while others
were thickly marked, particularly on the scapulars, with a red
rust colour, centred with black. The females were uniformly
more plain than the males ; but many of the latter, probably
young birds, were destitute of the ferruginous spots. On the
24th of May, the eggs in the females were about the size of
partridge-shot. In what particular regions of the north these
birds breed is altogether unknown.

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. 337

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. (Charadrius apricarius.)
PLATE LVII.—Fic. 4.

Alwagrim Plover, A7rcé. Zool. p. 483, No. 398.—Le Pluvier Doré a gorge noire, Buf.
viii. 85.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4196.

SQUATAROLA CINEREA.—F¥LEMING.*

Pluvialis cinerea, Wil. Orn. 229.—Gray Squatarola, Squatarola grisea, Steph. Cont.
Sh. Zool. vol. xi. p. 505.—Le Vanneau Gris, Cuv. Reg. Anim. vol. i. p. 467.—
Squatarola cinerea, Flem. Br. Zool. p. 3.—Vanellus melanogaster, Worth. Zool.
ii. p. 370.

Tis bird is known in some parts of the country by the
name of the large whistling field plover. It generally makes
its first appearance in Pennsylvania late in April; fre-
quents the countries towards the mountains; seems parti-

* This species, with some others, forms the division Vanneaw pluviers,
the genus Squatarola of Cuvier, and, according to modern ornithologists,
has been separated from the Charadrwi on account of the presence of
a hinder toe.

In the arrangement of this group, as in many others, I fear the
characteristic marks have been taken in a manner too arbitrary. Those
birds known by the name of Plovers form a small but apparently dis-
tinct group ; they contain the C. pluvialis, Virginianus, &c., and, but for
the rudimentary toe, the gray plover would also enter it: they agree
in their manners, their incubation, and changes of plumage. We, again,
have another well-defined group, which is called the Dotterels, agreeing
in similar common habitudes ; but, in one species, bearing according to
arrangement the name of Squatarola, we have all the marks and form
of plumage, but the hinder toe much developed. It therefore becomes
a question whether the presence or want of this appendage should be
brought into the generic character (as it always has been), or should be
looked upon as one of the connections of forms. In the latter way the
plovers should form the genus Squatarola, the dotterels Charadrius, and
the two birds in question be placed opposite in their respective circles.

Vanellus, or the Lapwings, again, form another group, as well marked
in their different habits, and intimately connected with Pluvianus ;
neither of these, however, have any representative in North America.

Many gray plovers breed in the English fens, and, like the migratory
sandpipers, flocks appear on the shores at the commencement of winter,
where they mingle with the other species. The plate is that of the
summer or breeding plumage.—Ep.

VOL. IT. nYG

338 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.

cularly attached to newly-ploughed fields, where it forms its
nest of a few slight materials, as slightly put together. The
female lays four eggs, large for the size of the bird, of a light
olive colour dashed with black, and has frequently two broods
in the same season. It is an extremely shy and watchful
bird, though clamorous during breeding time. The young are
without the black colour on the breast and belly until the
second year, and the colours of the plumage above are like-
wise imperfect till then. They feed on worms, grubs, winged
insects, and various kinds of berries, particularly those usually
called dew-berries, and are at such times considered exqui-
site eating. About the beginning of September they descend
with their young to the sea-coast, and associate with the
numerous multitudes then returning from their breeding
places in the north. At this season they abound on the
plains of Long Island. They have a loud whistling note ;
often fly at a great height; and are called by many gunners
along the coast the black-bellied killdeer. The young of the
first year have considerable resemblance to those of the golden
plover ; but may be easily distinguished from this last by the
largeness of their head and bill, and in being at least two
inches more in length. The greater number of those which
I have examined have the rudiments of a hind toe; but the
character and manners of the plover are so conspicuous in the
bird, as to determine, at the first glance, the tribe it belongs
to. They continue about the sea-coast until early in Nov-
ember, when they move off to the south.

This same bird, Mr Pennant informs us, inhabits all the
north of Europe, Iceland, Greenland, and Hudson’s Bay, and
all the arctic part of Siberia. It is said that at Hudson’s Bay
it is called the Hawk’s-eye, on account of its brilliancy. It
appears, says the same author, in Greenland, in the spring,
about the southern lakes, and feeds on worms and berries of
the heath.

This species is twelve inches long, and twenty-four inches
in extent; the bill is thick, deeply grooved on the upper

RED-BREASTED SANDFWIPER. 339

mandible, an inch and a quarter in length, and of a black
colour; the head and globe of the eye are both remarkably
large, the latter deep bluish black; forehead, white; crown
and hind head, black, spotted with golden yellow ; back and
scapulars, dusky, sprinkled with the same golden or orange
coloured spots, mixed with others of white ; breast, belly, and
vent, black ; sides of the breast, whitish ; wing-quills, black ;
middle of the shafts, white; greater coverts, black, tipt with
white; lining of the wing, black; tail, regularly barred with
blackish and pure white; tail-coverts, pure white; legs and
feet, a dusky lead colour; the exterior toe joined to the middle
by a broad membrane; hind toe, very small.

From the length of time which these birds take to acquire
their full colours, they are found in very various stages of
plumage. The breast and belly are at first. white, gradually
appear mottled with black, and finally become totally black.
The spots of orange or golden on the crown, hind head, and
back are at first white, and sometimes even the breast itself
is marked with these spots, mingled among the black. In
every stage, the seemingly disproportionate size of the head
and thickness of the bill will distinguish this species.

RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER. (Tringa rufa.)
PLATE LVII.—Fic. 5.

Peale’s Museum, No. 4050.

TRINGA CANUTUS.—LINNAUS.

Tringa Islandica, Zinn. and Lath.—Red Sandpiper, Mont. Orn. Dict. Supp.—
Aberdeen Sandpiper, Penn. Brit. Zool. ii. No. 203.

Or this prettily-marked species I can find no description.
The Tringa Icelandica, or Aberdeen sandpiper of Pennant
and others, is the only species that has any resemblance to it ;
the descriptions of that bird, however, will not apply to the
present.

340 RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER.

The common name of this species on our sea-coast is the
eray-back, and among the gunners it is a particular favourite,
being generally a plump, tender, and excellent bird for the
table ; and, consequently, brings a good price in market.

The gray-backs do not breed on the shores of the middle
States.. Their first appearance is early in May. They remain
a few weeks, and again disappear until October. They usually
keep in small flocks, alight in a close body together on the
sand flats, where they search for the small bivalve shells already
described. On the approach of the sportsman, they frequently
stand fixed and silent for some time; do not appear to be
easily alarmed, neither do they run about in the water as
much as some others, or with the same rapidity, but appear
more tranquil and deliberate. In the month of November
they retire to the south.

This species is ten inches long, and twenty in extent ; the
bill is black, and about an inch and a half long; the chin,
eyebrows, and whole breast are a pale brownish orange colour ;
crown, hind head from the upper mandible backwards, and
neck, dull white, streaked with black ; back, a pale slaty olive,
the feathers tipt with white, barred and spotted with black
and pale ferruginous ; tail-coverts, white, elegantly barred
with black ; wings, plain, dusky black towards the extremity ;
the greater coverts, tipt with white; shafts of the primaries,
white ; tail, pale ashy olive, finely edged with white, the two
middle feathers somewhat the longest ; belly and vent, white,
the latter marked with small arrow-heads of black; legs and
feet, black ; toes, bordered with a narrow membrane; eye,
small and black.

In some specimens, both of males and females, the red on
the breast was much paler, in others it descended as far as
the thighs. Both sexes seemed nearly alike.

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RED-BREASTED SNIPE. 341

RED-BREASTED SNIPE. (Scolopax noveboracensis.)
PLATE LVIII.—Fie. 1.

Arct. Zool. p. 464, No. 368.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3932.
MACRORHAMPUS GRISEUS.—LeEacu.*

Macrorhampus griseus, Steph. Cont. Sh. Zool. vol. xii. p. 61.—Scolopax grisea,
Flem. Br. Zool. p. 106.—Bonap. Cat. p. 27.—Le Becassine Grise, Scolopax
leucopheea, Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pl. 241.—Limosa scolopacea, Say’s Haped. to
Rocky Mount. i. p. 170, 171, note.— Brown Snipe, Mont. Orn. Dict.—Becassine
Ponctuée, Zemm. Man. ii. p. 679.—Brown Snipe, Selby’s llust. Br. Orn. pl.
24, fig. 2.

THis bird has a considerable resemblance to the common
snipe, not only in its general form, size, and colours, but
likewise in the excellence of its flesh, which is in high esti-
mation. It differs, however, greatly from the common snipe

* This bird will stand in the rank of a sub-genus. It was first in-
dicated by Leach, in the Catalogue to the British Museum, under the
above title. It is one of those beautifully connecting forms which it is
impossible to place without giving a situation to themselves, and in-
timately connects the snipes with Yotanus and Limosa. The bill is
truly that of Scolopax, while the plumage and changes ally it to the
other genera ; from these blending characters it had been termed Limosa,
scolopacea by Say, who gave the characters of the form without apply-
ing the name, He has the following observations in the work above
quoted :—

“Several specimens were shot in a pond near the Bowyer Creek.
Corresponds with the genus Scolopax, Cuvier, in having the dorsal
grooves at the tip of the upper mandible, and in having this part dilated
and rugose ; but the eye is not large, nor is it placed far back upon the
head ; which two latter characters, combined with its more elevated
and slender figure, and the circumstance of the thighs being denudated
of feathers high above the knee, and the exterior toe being united to
the middle toe by a membrane which extends as far as the first joint,
and the toes being also margined, combine to distinguish this species
from those of the genus to which the form and characters of its bill
would refer it, and approach it more closely to Limosa. In one speci-
men, the two exterior primaries on each wing were light brown, but
the quills were white, It may, perhaps, with propriety be considered
as the type of a new genus, and, under the following characters, be
placed between the genera Scolopax and Limosa. Bill, longer than the

342 RED-BREASTED SNIPE.

in its manners, and in many other peculiarities, a few of
which, as far as I have myself observed, may be sketched as
follows :—

The red-breasted snipe arrives on the sea-coast of New
Jersey early in April; is seldom or never seen inland: early
in May it proceeds to the north to breed, and returns by the
latter part of July or beginning of August. During its stay
here, it flies in flocks, sometimes very high, and has then a
loud and shrill whistle, making many evolutions over the
marshes, forming, dividing, and reuniting. ‘They sometimes
settle in such numbers, and so close together, that eighty-five
have been shot at one discharge of a musket. They spring
from the marshes with a loud twirling whistle, generally
rising high, and making several circuitous manceuvres in air
before they descend. ‘They frequent the sandbars and mud
flats at low water in search of food ; and being less suspicious
of a boat than of a person on shore, are easily approached by
this medium, and shot down in great numbers. They usually
keep by themselves, being very numerous; are in excellent
order for the table in September ; and on the approach of
winter retire to the south.

I have frequently amused myself with the various action
of these birds. They fly very rapidly, sometimes wheeling,
coursing, and doubling along the surface of the marshes ; then
shooting high in air, there separating and forming in various
bodies, uttering a kind of quivering whistle. Among many
which I opened in May, were several females that had very
little rufous below, and the backs were also much lighter, and
less marbled with ferruginous. The eggs contained in their
ovaries were some of them as large as garden peas. Their
head, dilated, and rugose at tip, slightly curved downwards, and with
a dorsal groove ; nasal groove, elongated ; feet, long, an extensive naked
space above the knee ; toes, slightly margined, a membrane connecting
the joints of the exterior toes ; first of the primaries, rather longest.”

It is of rare occurrence in Europe, a few specimens only being men-

tioned, and a solitary instance of its appearance on the coast of Britain
is recorded by Montagu.—Ep.

RED-BREASTED SNIPE. 343

stomachs contained masses of those small snail-shells that lie
in millions on the salt marshes; the wrinkles at the base of
the bill, and the red breast, are strong characters of this
species, as also the membrane which unites the outer and
middle toes together.

The red-breasted snipe is ten inches and a half long, and
eighteen inches in extent ; the bill is about two inches and a
quarter in length, straight, grooved, black towards the point,
and of a dirty eel-skin colour at the base, where it is tumid
and wrinkled; lores, dusky; cheeks and eyebrows, pale
yellowish white, mottled with specks of black ; throat and
breast, a reddish buff colour ; sides, white, barred with black ;
belly and vent, white, the latter barred with dusky; crown,
neck above, back, scapulars, and tertials, black, edged, mottled,
and marbled with yellowish white, pale and bright ferruginous,
much in the same manner as the common snipe ; wings, plain
olive, the secondaries, centred and bordered with white ; shaft,
of the first quill, very white; rump, tail-coverts, and tail
(which consists of twelve feathers), white, thickly spotted with
black ; legs and feet, dull yellowish green; outer toe united
to the middle one by a small membrane; eye, very dark.
The female, which is paler on the back, and less ruddy on
the breast, has been described by Mr Pennant as a separate
species.* —

These birds, doubtless, breed not far to the northward of
the United States, if we may judge from the lateness of the
season when they leave us in spring, the largeness of the eggs
in the ovaries of the females before they depart, and the short
period of time they are absent. Of all our seaside snipes, it
is the most numerous, and the most delicious for the table.
From these circumstances, and the crowded manner in which
it flies and settles, it is the most eagerly sought after by our
gunners, who send them to market in great numbers.

* See his brown snipe, Arct. Zool., No. 369.

ee a

344 LONG-LEGGED AVOSET.

LONG-LEGGED AVOSET. (Recurvirostra
himantopus.)
PLATE LVIII.—Fie. 2.

Long-legged Plover, Arct. Zool. p. 487, No. 405.—Turton, p. 416.—Bewick, ii.
21.—L’Echasse, Buff. viii. 114, Pl. enl. 878.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4210.
HIMANTOPUS NIGRICOLLIS.—V1£1.10T.*

Himantopus Mexicanus, Ovd’s edit. of Wils.—Himantopus nigricollis, Bonap.
Synop. p. 322.

Narturatists have most unaccountably classed this bird with
the genus Charadrius, or plover, and yet affect to make the
particular confirmation of the bill, legs, and feet, the rule
of their arrangement. In the present subject, however, ex-
cepting the trivial circumstance of the want of a hind toe,
there is no resemblance whatever of those parts to the bill,
legs, or feet, of the plover; on the contrary, they are so en-
tirely different, as to create no small surprise at the adoption
and general acceptation of a classification evidently so absurd
and unnatural. This appears the more reprehensible, when
we consider the striking affinity there is between this bird and
the common avoset, not only in the particular form of the
bill, nostrils, tongue, legs, feet, wings, and tail, but extend-
ing to the voice, manners, food, place of breeding, form of
the nest, and even the very colour of the eggs of both, all of
which are strikingly alike, and point out at once, to the
actual observer of Nature, the true relationship of these

remarkable birds.
Strongly impressed with these facts, from an intimate
Wilson confounded this species with the long-legged plover of
Europe, and ranged it with the Avosets. Mr Ord, in his reprint, placed
it in the genus Himantopus, properly established for these birds, but
under the name Mexicanus. The Prince of Musignano is of opinion
that it cannot range under this, being much smaller, and refers it to
the H. nigricollis of Vieillot. The genus contains only a few species,

all so closely allied, that near examination is necessary to distinguish

them. They are all remarkable for the great disproportion of their
legs. —Eb.

LONG-LEGGED AVOSET. 345

acquaintance with the living subjects in their native wilds, I
have presumed to remove the present species to the true and
proper place assigned it by Nature, and shall now proceed to
detail some particulars of its history.

This species arrives on the sea-coast of New Jersey about
the 25th of April, in small detached flocks of twenty or thirty
together. These sometimes again subdivide into lesser parties ;
but it rarely happens that a pair is found solitary, as, during
the breeding season, they usually associate in small companies.
On their first arrival, and, indeed, during the whole of their
residence, they inhabit those particular parts of the salt marshes,
pretty high up towards the land, that are broken into numerous
shallow pools, but are not usually overflowed by the tides
during the summer. ‘These pools or ponds are generally so
shallow, that, with their long legs, the avosets can easily
wade them in every direction; and as they abound with
minute shell-fish, and multitudes of aquatic insects and their
larvee, besides the eggs and spawn of others deposited in the
soft mud below, these birds find here an abundant supply of
food, and are almost continually seen wading about in such
places, often up to the breast in water.

In the vicinity of these bald places, as they are called by
the country people, and at the distance of forty or fifty yards
off, among the thick tufts of grass, one of these small associa-
tions, consisting perhaps of six or eight pair, takes up its
residence during the breeding season. About the first week
in May they begin to construct their nests, which are at first
slightly formed, of a small quantity of old grass, scarcely suffi-
cient to keep the eggs from the wet marsh. As they lay and
sit, however, either dreading the rise of the tides, or for some
other purpose, the nest is increased in height with dry twigs
of a shrub very common in the marshes, roots of the salt grass,
seaweed, and various other substances, the whole weighing
between two and three pounds. ‘This habit of adding materials
to the nest after the female begins sitting is common to almost
all other birds that breed in the marshes. The eggs are four

a re RS ee

346 LONG-LEGGED AVOSET.

in number, of a dark yellowish clay colour, thickly marked
with large blotches of black. ‘These nests are often placed
within fifteen or twenty yards of each other; but the greatest
harmony seems to prevail among the proprietors.

While the females are sitting, the males are either wading
through the ponds, or roaming over the adjoining marshes ;
but should a person make his appearance, the whole collect
together in the air, flying with their long legs extended behind
them, keeping up a continual yelping note of click, click, click.
Their flight is steady, and not in short, sudden jerks, like that
of the plover. As they frequently alight on the bare marsh,
they drop their wings, stand with their legs half bent, and
trembling, as if unable to sustain the burden of their bodies.
Jn this ridiculous posture they will sometimes stand for
several minutes, uttering a curring sound, while, from the
corresponding quiverings of their wings and long legs, they
seem to balance themselves with great difficulty. This
singular manoeuvre is, no doubt, intended to induce a belief
that they may be easily caught, and so turn the attention of
the person from the pursuit of their nests and young to
themselves. The red-necked avoset, whom we have introduced
in the present volume, practises the very same deception, in
the same ludicrous manner, and both alight indiscriminately
on the ground or in the water. Both will also occasionally
swim for a few feet, when they chance, in wading, to lose
their depth, as I have had several times an opportunity of
observing.

The name by which this bird is known on the sea-coast
is the stilt, or tilt, or long-shanks. They are but sparingly
dispersed over the marshes, having, as has been already
observed, their particular favourite spots, while in large inter-
mediate tracts there are few or none to be found. They
occasionally visit the shore, wading about in the water and in
the mud in search of food, which they scoop up very dexter-
ously with their delicately-formed bills. On being wounded
while in the water, they attempt to escape by diving, at which

LONG-LEGGED AVOSET. 347

they are by no means expert. Inautumn, their flesh is tender
and well tasted. They seldom raise more than one brood in,
the season, and depart for the south early in September. As
they are well known in Jamaica, it is probable some of them
may winter in that and other of the West India islands.

Mr Pennant observes that this bird is not a native of
northern Europe, and there have been but few instances
where it has been seen in Great Britain. It is common, says
Latham, in Egypt, being found there in the marshes in
October. It is likewise plentiful about the salt lakes, and is
often seen on the shores of the Caspian Sea, as well as by the
rivers which empty themselves into it, and in the southern
deserts of Independent Tartary. ‘The same author adds, on
the authority of Ray, that it is known at Madras in the Kast
Indies. ; |

All the figures and descriptions which I have seen of this
curious bird represent the bill as straight, and of almost an
equal thickness throughout, but I have never found it so
in any of the numerous specimens I have myself shot and
examined. Many of these accounts, as well as figures, have
been taken from dried and stuffed skins, which give but an
imperfect, and often erroneous, idea of the true outlines of
nature. ‘The dimensions, colours, and markings of a very
beautiful specimen, newly shot, were as follows :—

Length, from the point of the bill to the end of the tail,
fourteen inches, to the tips of the wings, sixteen; extent,
twenty-eight inches; bill, three inches long, slightly curved
upwards, tapering to a fine point, the upper mandible rounded
above, the whole of a deep black colour; nostrils, an oblong
slit, pervious ; tongue, short, pointed ; forehead, spot behind
the eye, lower eyelid, sides of the neck, and whole lower parts,
pure white ; back, rump, and tail-coverts, also white, but so
concealed by the scapulars as to appear black; tail, even, or
very slightly forked, and of a dingy white; the vent-feathers
reach to the tip of the tail below; line before the eye, auri-
culars, back part of the neck, scapulars, and whole wings,

348 LONG-LEGGED AVOSET.

deep black, richly glossed with green ; legs and naked thighs,
a fine pale carmine; the latter measures three, the former four
inches and a half in length, exceedingly thin, and so flexible
that they may be bent considerably without danger of break-
ing. This thinness of the leg enables the bird to wade with
expedition, and without fatigue. Feet, three-toed, the outer
toe connected to the middle one by a broad membrane ; wings,
long, extending two inches beyond the tail, and sharp pointed ;
irides, a bright rich scarlet ; pupil, black. In some the white
from the breast extends quite round the neck, separating the
black of the hind neck from that of the body ; claws, blackish
horn.

The female is about half an inch shorter, and differs in
having the plumage of the upper back and scapulars, and also
the tertials, of a deep brown colour. The stomach or gizzard
was extremely muscular, and contained fragments of small
snail-shells, winged bugs, and a slimy matter, supposed to be
the remains of some aquatic worms. In one of these females
I counted upwards of one hundred and fifty eggs, some of
them as large as buckshot. The singular form of the legs
and feet, with the exception of the hind toe and one membrane
of the foot, is exactly like those of the avoset. The upper
curvature of the bill, though not quite so great, is also the
same as in the other, being rounded above, and tapering to a
delicate point in the same manner. In short, a slight com-
parison of the two is sufficient to satisfy the most scrupulous
observer that Nature has classed these two birds together ; and
so believing, we shall not separate them.

SOLITARY SANDPIPER. 349

SOLITARY SANDPIPER. (Tringa solitaria.)
PLATE LVIIL.—Fic. 3.

Peale’s Museum, No. 7763.
TOTANUS CHLOROPIGIUS.—VI®EILLOT.*

Totanus glareolus, Ord’s reprint, p. 57.—Totanus chloropigius, Vicill.—Bonap.
Cat. p. 26.—Synop. p. 325.

Tats new species inhabits the watery solitudes of our highest
mountains during the summer, from Kentucky to New York ;
but is nowhere numerous, seldom more than one or two being
seen together. It takes short low flights; runs nimbly about
among the mossy margins of the mountain springs, brooks,
and pools, occasionally stopping, looking at you, and perpe-
tually nodding the head. It is so unsuspicious, or so little
acquainted with man, as to permit one to approach within a
few yards of it, without appearing to take any notice or to be
the least alarmed. At the approach of cold weather, it descends
to the muddy shores of our large rivers, where it is occa-
sionally met with singly, on its way to the south. I have
made many long and close searches for the nest of this bird
without success. They regularly breed on Pocano Mountain

* In the second edition of the seventh part, under the inspection of
Mr Ord, this bird is described as new, by the name of 7’, glareolus. Ord
thought it identical with the 7. glareolus of Europe, and named it as
such ; hissynonyms are, therefore, all wrong. The Prince of Musignano
thus points out the differences: “ 7. chloropigius differs from 7, glareola,
not only as regards the characters of the tail-feathers, but also in being
more minutely speckled, the white spots being smaller; by its longer
tarsus ; by the lineation of all the tail-feathers, but especially the lateral
ones, the bands being broader, purer, and much more regular, whilst
the latter tail-feathers of the European species are almost pure white on
the inner webs ; by having the shaft of the exterior primary black,
whilst that of the glareolus is white.”

The two specimens which Mr Ord shot, in which all the tail-feathers
were barred, and which corresponded with 7. glareola, may have been
in fact that species. The Prince of Musignano is of opinion that it is
also a native of North America.—Ep.

350 YELLOW-SHANKS SNIPE.

between Easton and Wilkesbarre, in Pennsylvania, arriving
there early in May, and departing in September. It is usually
silent, unless when suddenly flushed, when it utters a sharp
whistle.

This species has considerable resemblance, both in manners
and markings, to the green sandpiper of Europe (Tringa
ochropus) ; but differs from that bird in being nearly one-third
less, and in wanting the white rump and tail-coverts of that
species; it is also destitute of its silky olive green plumage.
How far north its migrations extend I am unable to say

The solitary sandpiper is eight inches and a half long, and
fifteen inches in extent ; the bill is one inch and a quarter in
length, and dusky; nostrils, pervious; bill, fluted above and
below ; line over the eye, chin, belly, and vent, pure white ;
breast, white, spotted with pale olive brown ; crown and neck
above, dark olive, streaked with white; back, scapulars, and
rump, dark brown olive, each feather marked along the edges
with small round spots of white ; wings, plain, and of a darker
tint; under tail-covert, spotted with black; tail, slightly
rounded, the five exterior feathers on each side, white, broadly
barred with black; the two middle ones, as well as their
coverts, plain olive ; legs, long, slender, and of a dusky green.
Male and female alike in colour.

YELLOW-SHANKS SNIPE. (Scolopawx flavipes.)
PLATE LVIII.—Fie. 4.

Arct. Zool. p. 463, No. 878.—Turt. Syst. 395.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3938.
TOTANUS FLAVIPES.—ViEI110T.*
Totanus flavipes, Ord’s edit. p. 59.—Bonap. Cat. p. 26.

Or this species I have but little to say. It inhabits our sea-
coasts and salt marshes during summer ; frequents the flats at
low water, and seems particularly fond of walking among the

* T, flavipes seems exclusively American.— ED.

VELLOW-SHANES SNIPE. 351

mud, where it doubtless finds its favourite food in abundance.
Having never met with its nest, nor with any person acquainted
with its particular place or manner of breeding, I must reserve
these matters for further observation. It is a plentiful species,
and great numbers are brought to market in Boston, New
York, and Philadelphia, particularly ‘in autumn. Though
these birds do not often penetrate far inland, yet, on the 5th
of September, I shot several dozens of them in the meadows
of Schuylkill, below Philadelphia. There had been a violent
north-east storm a day or two previous, and a large flock of
these, accompanied by several species of Tringa, and vast
numbers of the short-tailed tern, appeared at once among the
meadows. As a bird for the table, the yellow-shanks, when
fat, is in considerable repute. Its chief residence is in the
vicinity of the sea, where there are extensive mud flats. It
has a sharp whistle, of three or four notes, when about to
take wing and when flying. ‘These birds may be shot down
with great facility, if the sportsman, alter the first discharge,
will only lie close, and permit the wounded birds to flutter
about without picking them up ; the flock will generally make
a circuit, and alight repeatedly, until the greater part of them
may be shot down.

Length of the yellow-shanks, ten inches ; extent, twenty ;
bill, slender, straight, an inch and a half in length, and black ;
line over the eye, chin, belly, and vent, white; breast and
throat, gray; general colour of the plumage above, dusky
brown olive, inclining to ash, thickly marked with small
triangular spots of dull white ; tail-coverts, white ; tail, also
white, handsomely barred with dark olive; wings, plain dusky,
the secondaries edged, and all the coverts edged and tipt with
white; shafts, black; eye, also black; legs and naked thighs,
long and yellow; outer toe, united to the middle one by a
slight membrane; claws, a horn colour, The female can
scarcely be distinguished from the male.

352 TELL-TALE GODWIT, OR SNIPE.

TELL-TALE GODWIT, OR SNIPE. (Scolopax

voctferUus. )
PLATE LVIII.—Fie. 5.

Stone Snipe, Avct. Zool. p. 468, No. 376.—Turt. Syst. p. 396.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 3940.

TOTANUS MELANOLEUCUS.—VIEILLOT.*
T. melanoleucus, Ord’s reprint of Wils. p. 61.—Bonap. Synop. p. 324. ~

THIs species and the preceding are both well known to our
duck-gunners along the sea-coast and marshes, by whom they
are detested, and stigmatised with the names of the greater
and lesser tell-tale, for their faithful vigilance in alarming the
ducks with their loud and shrill whistle on the first glimpse
of the gunner’s approach. Of the two, the present species is
by far the most watchful ; and its whistle, which consists of
four notes rapidly repeated, is so loud, shrill, and alarming,
as instantly to arouse every duck within its hearing, and thus
disappoints the eager expectations of the marksman. Yet
the cunning and experience of the latter are frequently more
than a match for all of them ; and before the poor tell-tale
is aware, his warning voice is hushed for ever, and his dead
body mingled with those of his associates.

* Bonaparte in his “ Nomenclature” remarks, “ This bird is undoubt-
edly the S. melanoleuca of Gmelin and Latham, first made known by
Pennant. Why Wilson, who was aware of this, should have changed
the name, we are at a loss to conceive. Mr Ord was, therefore, rightin
restoring it.”

The species has not been discovered out of North America, and will
take the place in that country of the European greenshank.

Totanus is a genus of Bechstein, now generally acknowledged as the
proper place for the sandpipers of this form. Many of them do not
undergo so decided a change during the breeding season, breed more
inland, and, during winter, are as frequently found on the banks of
rivers and lakes, or in inland marshes, as upon the shores. They are
extremely noisy when first disturbed ; a single individual readily gives
the note of alarm ; and when their nests are approached, they display
more of the habit of the Plovers,—Ep.

TELL-TALE GODWIT, OR SNIPE. 353

This bird arrives on our coast early in April, breeds in the
marshes, and continues until November, about the middle of
which month it generally moves off to the south. The nest,
J have been informed, is built in a tuft of thick grass, gene-
rally on the borders of a bog or morass. The female, it is
said, lays four eggs of a dingy white, irregularly marked with
black.

These birds appear to be unknown in Europe. They are
simply mentioned by Mr Pennant as having been observed in
autumn, feeding on the sands on the lower part of Chatteaux
Bay, continually nodding their heads; and were called there
stone curlews.*

The tell-tale seldom flies in large flocks, at least during
summer. It delights in watery bogs and the muddy margins
of creeks and inlets; is either seen searching about for food,
or standing in a watchful posture, alternately raising and
lowering the head, and, on the least appearance of danger,
utters its shrill whistle, and mounts on wing, generally accom-
panied by all the feathered tribes that are near. It occasionally
penetrates inland along the muddy shores of our large rivers,
seldom higher than tide-water, and then singly and solitary.
They sometimes rise to a great height in the air, and can be
distinctly heard when beyond the reach of the eye. In the
fall, when they are fat, their flesh is highly esteemed, and
many of them are brought to our markets. The colours and
markings of this bird are so like those of the preceding, that,
unless in point of size and the particular curvature of the bill,
the description of one might serve for both.

The tell-tale is fourteen inches and a half long, and twenty-
five inches in extent ; the bill is two inches and a quarter long,
of a dark horn colour, and slightly bent upwards; the space
round the eye, chin, and throat, pure white ; lower part of the
neck, pale ashy white, speckled with black; general colour of
the upper parts, an ashy brown, thickly spotted with black and
dull white, each feather being bordered and spotted on the edge

* Arctic Zoology, p. 468.
VOL. II. Z

354 LTELL-TALE GODWIT, OR SNIPE,

with black; wing-quills, black; some of the primaries, and
all the secondaries, with their coverts, spotted round the
margins with black and white ; head and neck above, streaked
with black and white; belly and vent, pure white; rump
white, dotted with black ; tail, also white, barred with brown ;
the wings, when closed, reach beyond the tail; thighs, naked
nearly two inches above the knees ; legs, two inches and three-
quarters long ; feet, four-toed, the outer joined by a membrane
to the middle, the whole of a rich orange yellow. The female
differs little in plumage from the male ; sometimes the vent is
slightly dotted with black, and the upper parts more brown.
Nature seems to have intended this bird as a kind of spy
or sentinel for the safety of the rest ; and so well acquainted
are they with the watchful vigilance of this species, that, while
it continues silent among them, the ducks feed in the bogs
and marshes without the least suspicion. The great object of
the gunner is to escape the penetrating glance of this guardian,
which it is sometimes extremely difficult to effect. On the
first whistle of the tell-tale, if beyond gunshot, the gunner
abandons his design, but not without first bestowing a few
left-handed blessings on the author of his disappointment.

{Mr Ord adds, “ Pennant’s spotted snipe is undoubtedly this
species. He states that it arrives at Hudson’s Bay in the
spring ; feeds on small shellfish and worms, and frequents
the banks of rivers ; called there by the natives, from its noise,
Sa-sa-shew.* This Indian word, pronounced with rapidity,
gives a tolerable idea of the whistle of the tell-tale; and is
a proof of the advantage of recording the vulgar names of
animals, when these names are expressive of any peculiarity
of voice or habit.” |

* Arctic Zoology, vol. ii. p. 170.

‘6G
LVR 9 Lp > YF upwplop py wig haye p supmnmgs uadidpuns periods 7

RS rae

= I sree AO Sees < os

SOUT Hh 4q poavsbug

SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 355

SPOTTED SANDPIPER. (TLringa macularia.)
PLATE LIX.—Fie. 1.

Arct. Zool. p. 473, No. 385.—-La Grive d’Eau, Buff. viii. 140.—Edw. 277.—Peule’s
Museum, No. 4056.

TOTANUS MACULARIUS.—TEMMINCK.*

Ord’s reprint of Wils. part vii. p. 64.—Temm. Man. d’Orn. ii. p. 656.—Bonap.

p p ip

Synop. p. 325.—Flem. Br. Zool. p. 102.—Spotted Sandpiper, Mont. Orn.
Dict. ii. and Supp. Selby’s Illust. of Br. Orn. W. B. pl. 17.

THIS very common species arrives in Pennsylvania about
the 20th of April, making its first appearance along the shores
of our large rivers, and, as the season advances, tracing the
courses of our creeks and streams towards the interior. Along
the rivers Schuylkill and Delaware, and their tributary waters,
they are in great abundance during the summer. This species
is as remarkable for perpetually wagging the tail, as some others
are for nodding the head ; for, whether running on the ground
or on the fences, along the rails or in the water, this motion
seems continual ; even the young, as soon as they are freed from
the shell, run about constantly wagging the tail. About the
middle of May they resort to the adjoining cornfields to breed,
where I have frequently found and examined their nests.
One of these now before me, and which was built at the root
of a hill of Indian-corn, on high ground, is composed wholly
of short pieces of dry straw. The eggs are four, of a pale clay
or cream colour, marked with large irregular spots of black,
and more thinly with others of a paler tint. They are large
in proportion to the size of the bird, measuring an inch and a

* This is one of the most beautiful and most delicately marked among
the smaller Zotani. Closely allied to our common sand lark, 7. hypo-
leucos, it is at once distinguished by the spotted marking on the under
parts, which contrasts finely with their pure white. They frequent the
banks of rivers more than the larger species, and have all a peculiar
motion of the body and tail while running. The spotted sandpiper is
common to both continents, and has been once or twice killed in Great
Britain.—Ep.

356 SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

quarter in length, very thick at the great end, and tapering
suddenly to the other. The young run about with wonderful
speed as soon as they leave the shell, and are then covered
with down of a dull drab colour, marked with a single
streak of black down the middle of the back, and with
another behind each ear. They have a weak, plaintive note.
| On the approach of any person, the parents exhibit symptoms
of great distress, counterfeiting lameness, and fluttering along
i the ground with seeming difficulty. On the appearance of a
| dog, this agitation is greatly increased ; and if is very inter-
4 esting to observe with what dexterity she will lead him from
: her young, by throwing herself repeatedly before him, flutter-
ing off, and keepmg just without his reach, on a contrary
} direction from her helpless brood. My venerable friend Mr
William Bartram informs me, that he saw one of these birds
defend her young for a considerable time from the repeated
| attacks of a ground-squirrel. The scene of action was on the
river shore. The parent had thrown herself, with her two
young behind her, between them and the land; and at every
attempt of the squirrel to seize them by a circuitous sweep,
raised both her wings in an almost perpendicular position,
IH assuming the most formidable appearance she was capable of,
and rushed forwards on the squirrel, who, intimidated by her
} boldness and manner, instantly retreated ; but presently re-
iH turning, was met, as before, in front and on flank by the
daring and affectionate bird, who, with her wings and whole
plumage bristling up, seemed swelled to twice her usual size.
The young crowded together behind her, apparently sensible
of their perilous situation, moving backwards and forwards as
she advanced or retreated. This interesting scene lasted for at
least ten minutes; the strength of the poor parent began evi-
dently to flag, and the attacks of the squirrel became more
daring and frequent, when my good friend, like one of those celes-
tial agents who, in Homer’s time, so often decided the palm of
victory, stepped forward from his retreat, drove the assailant
back to his hole, and rescued the innocent from destruction.

SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 357

The flight of this bird is usually low, skimming along the
surface of the water, its long wings making a considerable angle
downwards from the body, while it utters a rapid cry of weet,
weet, weet, as it flutters along, seldom steering in a direct line
up or down the river, but making a long circuitous sweep,
stretching a great way out, and gradually bending in again
to the shore.

These birds are found occasionally along the sea-marshes,
as well as in the interior; and also breed in the cornfields
there, frequenting the shore in search of food; but rarely
associating with the other Zringe. About the middle of
October, they leave us on their way to the south, and do not,
to my knowledge, winter in any of the Atlantic States.

Mr Pennant is of opinion that this same species is found
in Britain ; but neither his description, nor that of Mr Bewick,
will apply correctly to this. The following particulars, with
the figure; will enable Huropeans to determine this matter to
their satisfaction :—

Length of the spotted sandpiper, seven inches and a half, ex-
tent, thirteen inches ; bill, an inch long, straight; the tip and
upper mandible dusky ; lower, orange ; stripe over the eye and
lower eyelid, pure white; whole upper parts, a glossy olive, with
greenish reflections, each feather marked with waving spots of
dark brown ; wing-quills, deep dusky ; bastard wing, bordered
and tipt with white ; a spot of white on the middle of the
inner vane of each quill-feather except the first ; secondaries,
tipt with white; tail, rounded, the six middle feathers greenish
olive, the other three on each side white, barred with black ;
whole lower parts, white, beautifully marked with roundish
spots of black, small and thick on the throat and breast,
larger and thinner as they descend to the tail; legs, a yellow
clay colour ; claws, black.

The female is as thickly spotted below as the male; but
the young birds of both sexes are pure white below, without
any spots; they also want the orange on the bill. Those
circumstances I have verified on numerous individuals.

358 BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER.

BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER. (Tringa Bartramia.)
PLATE LIX.—Fie. 2.

Peale’s Museum, No. 4040.
TOTANUS BARTRAMIUS.—TEMMINCK.*

Totanus Bartramius, Ord’s reprint of Wils. vol. vii. p. 67.—Chevalier 4 longue
queue, Temm. Man. d’ Orn. ii. p. 650.—Totanus Bartramius, Bonap. Synop.
p. 325.

Tuis bird being, as far as I can discover, a new species,
undescribed by any former author, I have honoured it with
the name of my very worthy friend, near whose botanic
gardens, on the banks of the river Schuylkill, I first found it.
On the same meadows I have since shot several other indi-

viduals of the species, and have thereby had an opportunity of

taking an accurate drawing as well as description of it.

Unlike most of their tribe, these birds appeared to prefer
running about among the grass, feeding on beetles and other
winged insects. ‘There were three or four in company ; they
seemed extremely watchful, silent, and shy, so that it was
always with extreme difficulty I could approach them.

These birds are occasionally seen there during the months
of August and September, but whether they breed near, I have
not been able to discover. Having never met with them on
the sea-shore, I am persuaded that their principal residence
is in the interior, in meadows and such like places. They
run with great rapidity, sometimes spreading their tail and

* The discovery of this species, I believe, is due to our author, who
dedicated it to his venerable friend Bartram. It is admitted by
Temminck as an occasional straggler upon the Dutch and German
coasts, and is mentioned as having been only once met with by himself.
Bonaparte asserts, on the authority of Say, that it is very common in
some districts of the extensive Missouri prairies ; thus confirming the
opinion of Wilson, that its residence is in the interior, and not on the
sea-coast, like most of its congeners. The lengthened form, more con-
spicuous in the wedge shape of the tail, is at variance with the greater
part of the Totant, and reminds us of the killdeer plover.—Ep.

BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER. 359

dropping their wings, as birds do who wish to decoy you from
their nest; when they alight they remain fixed, stand very
erect, and have two or three sharp whistling notes as they
mount to fly. They are remarkably plump birds, weighing
upwards of three-quarters of a pound ; their flesh is superior,
in point of delicacy, tenderness, and flavour, to any other of
the tribe with which I am acquainted.

This species is twelve inches long, and twenty-one in
extent; the bill is an inch and a half long, slightly bent down-
wards, and wrinkled at the base, the upper mandible black on
its ridge, the lower, as well as the edge of the upper, of a fine
yellow ; front, stripe over the eye, neck, and breast, pale
ferruginous, marked with small streaks of black, which, on the
lower part of the breast, assume the form of arrow-heads ;
crown, black, the plumage slightly skirted with whitish ; chin,
orbit of the eye, whole belly and vent, pure white; hind head
and neck above, ferruginous, minutely streaked with black ;
back and scapulars, black, the former slightly skirted with
ferruginous, the latter with white; tertials, black, bordered
with white; primaries, plain black; shaft of the exterior
quill, snowy, its inner vane elegantly pectinated with white ;
secondaries, pale brown, spotted on their outer vanes with
black, and tipt with white; greater coverts, dusky, edged
with pale ferruginous, and spotted with black ; lesser coverts,
pale ferruginous, each feather broadly bordered with white,
within which is a concentric semicircle of black; rump and
tail-coverts, deep brown black, shghtly bordered with white,
tail, tapering, of a pale brown orange colour, beautifully
spotted with black, the middle feathers centred with dusky ;
legs, yellow, tinged with green ; the outer toe joined to the
middle by a membrane; lining of the wings, elegantly barred
with black and white; iris of the eye, dark, or blue black ;
eye, very large. The male and female are nearly alike.

360 RING PLOVER.

RING PLOVER. (Tringa hiaticula.)
PLATE LIX.—Fie. 3.

Arct. Zool. p. 485, No. 401.—Le Petit Pluvier a Collier, Buff. viii. 90.—Bewick,
i. 326.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4150.

CHARADRIUS SEMIPALM ATUS.—BonAPARTE.*

Charadrius semipalmatus, Bonap. Synop. p. 296.—American Ring Plover, North.
Zool. ii. p. 367.—Charadrius semipalmatus? Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 23.

Iv a preceding part of this work (see Plate xxxvul. Fig. 3),
a bird by this name has been figured and described, under the
supposition that it was the ring plover, then in its summer
dress ; but which, notwithstanding its great resemblance to the
present, I now suspect to be a different species. Fearful of
perpetuating error, and anxious to retract where this may
inadvertently have been the case, I shall submit to the con-
sideration of the reader the reasons on which my present sus-
picions are founded.

* The smaller Charadriade of America have been much confused,
owing to their close alliance to each other and to those of Europe, with
some of which they were thought to be identical. The Prince 6f
Musignano has clearly pointed out the differences which exist between
this and the species figured at Plate XX XVII, and which bears a more
close resemblance to the little African C. pecwariuvs than either the
present species or the kiaticula of Europe (see also our note ‘on that
species) ; and although he has not been able to point out such distinctive
characters between the latter species and that now under discussion, I
have no doubt whatever of their being eventually found quite distinct ;
and it will be found, by those persons who are inclined to allow somuch
for the influence of climate in rendering form, colour, and plumage
distinct, that it is comparatively of no importance, and that identical
species, running through a great variety of latitude, will in fact differ
little or nothing from each other. I have transcribed the observations
of Bonaparte from his ‘‘ Nomenclature of Wilson,” which will show his
opinion.

He thus observes,—“ The remark made by Mr Ord, relative to the
difference between the union of the toes in American and European
specimens, is no less extraordinary than correct; I have verified it on
the specimens in my collection. This character would seem to show,

RING PLOVER. 361

The present species, or true ring plover, and also the
former or light-coloured bird, both arrive on the sea-coast of
New Jersey late in April. The present kind continues to be
seen in flocks until late in May, when they disappear on their
way farther north ; the light-coloured bird remains during the
summer, forms its nest in the sand, and generally produces
two broods in the season. THarly in September the present
species returns in flocks as before; soon after this the light-
coloured kind go off to the south, but the other remain a full
month later. European writers inform us that the ring
plover has a sharp twittering note; and this account agrees
exactly with that of the present: the light-coloured species,
on the contrary, has a peculiarly soft and musical note, similar
to the tone of a German flute, which it utters while running
along the sand, with expanded tail and hanging wings,
endeavouring to decoy you from its nest. ‘The present species
is never seen to breed here; and though I have opened great
numbers of them as late as the 20th of May, the eggs which
the females contained were never larger than small birdshot ;

in the most positive manner, that they are distinct but allied species,
differing from each other as Zringa semipalmata of Wilson differs from
his Tringa pusilla,”

The synonyms of Mr Ord, who noticed one of the principal distinc-
tions in the palmation of the feet, are consequently wrong, and they
should stand as above. I have added a synonym of Wagler, (. sem7-
palmatus, which he takes, without any acknowledgment, from Cont.
Isis, 1825, and which seems to be this species. He also refers to the C.
hiaticula of Wilson, Plate XXXVII., under the name of C. Okeniwi. The
true CU, hiaticula has not yet, I believe, been found in North America.

“T have been endeavouring,” again writes Bonaparte, “to discover
some other markings on my stuffed specimens, that might enable me to
establish the species on a more solid basis; but though certain small
differences are discernible, such as the somewhat smaller size, and the
black narrow collar of the American, &c., yet we are aware that such
trifling differences occur between individuals of the same species ; we
shall, therefore, not rely on them until our observations shall have been
repeated on numerous recent or living specimens, In the meantime,
should the species prove to be distinct, it may be distinguished by the
appropriate name of C. semipalmatus.”—Ep.

362 RING PLOVER.

while, at the same time, the light-coloured kind had every-
where begun to lay in the little cavities which they had dug
in the sand on the beach. ‘These facts being considered, it
seems difficult to reconcile such difference of habit in one and
the same bird. The ring plover is common in England, and
agrees exactly with the one now before us; but the light-
coloured species, as far as I can learn, is not found in Britain ;
specimens of it have indeed been taken to that country, where
the most judicious of their ornithologists have concluded it to
be still the ring plover, but to have changed from the effect
of climate. Mr Pennant, in speaking of the true ring plover,
makes the following remarks :—‘‘ Almost all which I have seen
from the northern parts of North America have had the black
marks extremely faint, and almost lost. The climate had
almost destroyed the specific marks ; yet in the bill and habit,
preserved sufficient to make the kind very easily ascertained.”
These traits agree exactly with the light-coloured species, de-
scribed in our fifth volume.* But this excellent naturalist
was perhaps not awate that we have the true ring plover
here in spring and autumn, agreeing in every respect with
that of Britain, and at least in equal numbers; why, therefore,
has not the climate equally affected the present and the former
sort, if both are the same species? ‘These inconsistencies
cannot be reconciled but by supposing each to be a distinct
species, which, though approaching extremely near to each
other in external appearance, have each their peculiar notes,
colour, and places of breeding.

The ring plover is seven inches long, and fourteen inches in
extent; bill, short, orange coloured, tipt with black; front and
chin, white, encircling the neck; upper part of the breast,

* Vol. II. p. 122 of this edition.

yj It is mentioned as abundant in all “ Arctic America” by the authors

of the “ Northern Zoology,” “ where it breeds in similar situations to the

golden plover. Mr Hutchins reports that the eggs, generally four, are
dark coloured, spotted with black. The natives say, that, on the
approach of stormy weather, this plover makes a chirruping noise, and

claps its wings.” —ED.

RING PLOVER. 363

black ; rest of the lower parts, pure white; fore part of the
crown, black; band from the upper mandible covering the
auriculars, also black ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, of a
brownish ash colour; wing-quills, dusky black, marked with
an oval spot of white about the middle of each; tail, olive,
deepening into black, and tipt with white; legs, dull yellow ;
eye, dark hazel; eyelids, yellow.

This bird is said to make no nest, but to lay four eges of a
pale ash colour, spotted with black, which she deposits on the
ground.* The eggs of the light-coloured species, formerly
described, are of a pale cream colour, marked with small round
dots of black, as if done with a pen.

The ring plover, according to Pennant, inhabits America
down to Jamaica and the Brazils; is found in summer in
Greenland; migrates from thence in autumn; is common in
every part of Russia and Siberia ; was found by the navigators
as low as Owyhee, one of the Sandwich Islands, and as heht
coloured as those of the highest latitudes. +

[Mr Ord adds to this description in his reprint: “ After
writing the above I had an opportunity of examining, com-
paratively, two or three specimens of the European ring
plover which are in Mr Peale’s collection. These birds
corresponded with the subject of this article, except in the
feet, and here I found a difference which is worthy of note.
The outer toes of both the European and the American birds
were united to the middle ones by a membrane of an equal
size; but the inner toes of the latter were also united by a
smaller web, while those of the former were divided to their
origin. The naturalists of Europe state that the inner toes
of their species are thus divided. Here, then, is a diversity
which, if constant, would constitute a specific difference. The
bottoms of the toes of the present are broad as in the
sanderling.

“The plover given in our fifth volume, under the name of

* Bewick. + Arct. Zool., p. 485,

364 SANDERLING PLOVER.

hiaticula, has its inner toes divided to their origin, and the
web of the outer toes is much smaller than that of the present
article. All my doubts on the subject of our two plovers
being now removed, I shall take the liberty of naming that of
the fifth volume, the piping plover, Charadrius melodus.”

SANDERLING PLOVER. (Charadrius calidris.)
PLATE LIX. —Fie. 4,

Linn. Syst. 255.—Arct. Zool. p. 486, No. 403.—Le Sanderling, Buff. vii. 532,—
Bewick, ii. 19.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4204.
CALIDRIS ARENARIA.—I.1xIGER.*

Charadrius calidris, Wils. Ist edit. vii. p. 68 ; and Ch. rubidus, Wits. 1st edit. vii.
p. 129.—Calidris, I/lig. Prod. Mam. et Av. p. 249.—Ruddy Plover, Penn.
Arct. Zool. ii. p. 486, summer plumage.—Sanderling variable (Calidris
arenaria), Zemm. Man. @’Orn. ii. 524.—Tringa (Calidris) arenaria, Bonap.
Synop.—Calidris arenaria, Flem. Br. Zool. p. 112.—North. Zool. ii. p. 366.

In this well-known bird we have another proof of the imper-
fection of systematic arrangement, where no attention is paid
to the general habits, but where one single circumstance is
sometimes considered sufficient to determine the species. The
genus plover is characterised by several strong family traits,
one of which is that of wanting the hind toe. The sandpipers
have also their peculiar external characters of bill, general

* Calidris was established for this single species, common over the
world, and of form intermediate between the plovers and sandpipers.
Their make is thicker ; they are less slender than the sandpipers ; the
bill stronger, but, as in that group, the feet similar to those of the
Charadrwi ; and with their manner of running and walking, they
possess that peculiar crouch of the head upon the back seen in the
common ring plover and its allies. The ruddy plover of the plate
represents it in the summer plumage, in which it more resembles the
changes exhibited in the knot and pigmy curlew than those of the
dunlns. On the shores of Britain, it is generally met with in winter
in small flocks, or in spring and autumn when going to or returning
from their breeding quarters.

By Mr Hutchins it is said to make its nest rudely of grass in the
marshes, and lays four dusky coloured eggs, spotted with black.—Epb.

SANDERLING PLOVER. 365

form, &¢., by which they are easily distinguished from the
former., The present species, though possessing the bill, gene-
ral figure, manners, and voice of the sandpipers, feeding in the
same way, and associating with these in particular, yet want-
ing the hind toe, has been classed with the plovers, with whom,
this single circumstance excepted, it has no one character-
isticincommon. Though we have not, in the present instance,
presumed to alter this arrangement, yet it appears both reason-
able and natural that, where the specific characters in any
bird seem to waver between two species, that the figure, voice,
and habits of the equivocal one should always be taken into
consideration, and be allowed finally to determine the class to
which it belongs. Had this rule been followed in the present
instance, the bird we are now about to describe would have
undoubtedly been classed with the sandpipers.

The history of this species has little in it to excite our in-
terest or attention. It makes its appearance on our sea-coasts
early in September, continues during the greater part of winter,
and, on the approach of spring, returns to the northern regions
to breed. While here, it seems perpetually busy running along
the wave-worn strand, following the flux and reflux of the
surf, eagerly picking up its food from the sand amid the roar
of the ocean. It flies in numerous flocks, keeping a low mean-
dering course along the ridges of the tumbling surf. On
alighting, the whole scatter about after the receding wave,
busily picking up those minute bivalves already described.
As the succeeding wave returns, it bears the whole of them
before it in one crowded line; then is the moment seized by
the experienced gunner to sweep them in flank with his
destructive shot. The flying survivors, after a few aerial
meanders, again alight, and pursue their usual avocation as
busily and unconcernedly as before. These birds are most
numerous on extensive sandy beaches in front of the ocean.
Among rocks, marshes, or stones covered with seaweed, they
seldom make their appearance.

The sanderling is eight inches long, and fourteen inches in

ESS ony Sn terete

366 SANDERLING PLOVER.

extent ; thebill is black, an inch and a quarter in length, slender,
straight, fluted along the upper mandible, and exactly formed
like that of the sandpiper; the head, neck above, back, scapulars,
and tertials, are gray white; the shafts blackish, and the webs
tinged with brownish ash ; shoulder of the wing, black ; greater
coverts, broadly tipt with white ; quills, black, crossed with a
transverse band of white ; the tail extends a little beyond the
wings, and is of a grayish ash colour, edged with white, the
two middle feathers being about half an inch longer than the
others ; eye, dark hazel ; whole lower parts of the plumage,
pure white; legs and naked part of the thighs, black ; feet,
three-toed, each divided to its origin, and bordered with a
narrow membrane.

Such are the most common markings of this bird, both of
males and females, particularly during the winter ; but many
others occur among them, early in the autumn, thickly marked
or spotted with black on the crown, back, scapulars, and
tertials, so as to appear much mottled, having as much black
as white on those parts. In many of these I have observed
the plain gray plumage coming out about the middle of
October ; so that perhaps the gray may be their winter, and
the spotted their summer, dress.

I have also met with many specimens of this bird, not only
thickly speckled with white, and black above, but also on the
neck, and strongly tinged on both with ferruginous ; in which
dress it has been mistaken by Mr Pennant and others for a
new species—the description of his “ruddy plover” agreeing
exactly with this.* <A figure of the sanderling in this state
of plumage will be introduced in some part of the present
work,

* See Arct. Zool., p. 486, No, 404.

GOLDEN PLOVER. 307

GOLDEN PLOVER. (Charadrius pluvialis.)

PLATE LIX.—Fie. 5.

Arct. Zool. p. 493, No. 399.—Bewick, i. 322.—Le Pluvier Doré, Buff. viii. 81,
Pi. enl. 904.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4198.

CHARADRIUS VIRGINIANUS.—BonsPARtE.* |

Charadrius pluvialis, Bonap. Synop. p. 297.—Worth. Zool. ii. p. 369. Charadrius
Virginianus, Bonap. Osser. Sulla, 2d edit. Del. Regn. Anim. Cuv. p. 93.—
Charadrius marmoratus, Wagl. Syst. Av. Char. No. 42.

Ts beautiful species visits the sea-coast of New York and
New Jersey in spring and autumn; but does not, as far as I

* The Prince of Musignano, after the publication of his “ Synopsis of
North American Birds,” and ‘“‘ Observations on Wilson’s Nomenclature,”
pointed out the distinction of the North American and European birds.
The plate of Wilson also shows every character of the northern birds.
The lengthened bill and legs, the more distinct dorsal spotting, and
clearer colour of the forehead, the dusky hue of the under parts, and
the mention, by Ord, of the brown axillaries, all point out this bird,
which can never be mistaken. The following are the principal distinc-
tions which appear between skins of C. Virginianus from India and New
Holland, and specimens of C. pluvialis, shot this forenoon :—

C. pluvialis.
1. Total length, 104 inches.

C. Virginianus.

1. The skinsare about 10 inchesin
length, but are much stretched ;
93, or 8, as mentioned by Wag-
ler, nearly the true length.

2. Length of bill to extremity of 2. Length of bill to extremity of
gape, | inch. gape, 14 inch.
3. Length of wing, from joining 3. Length of wing, from joining

of bastard pinion to forearm,
and tip of first or longest quill,
8 inches.

of bastard pinion to forearm,
and tip of first or longest quill,
63 inches.

4, Length of unfeathered tibia, 4. Length of unfeathered tibia, ?
inch. inch.

5. Length of tarsus, 12 inch. 5, Length of tarsus, nearly 12
inch.

6. Throat,lower part of the breast, 6. Throat, and all under parts,

belly, vent, and crissum, pure
white.

dull yellowish gray, with
darker tips to the feathers,

368 GOLDEN PLOVER.

can discover, breed in any part of the United States. They

are most frequently met within the months of September and

October ; soon after which they disappear. The young birds
of the great black-bellied plover are sometimes mistaken for
this species. Hence the reason why Mr Pennant remarks his
having seen a variety of the golden plover, with black breasts,
which he supposed to be the young.*

The golden plover is common in the northern parts of
Europe. It breeds on high and heathy mountains. The
female lays four eggs, of a pale olive colour, variegated with
blackish spots. They usually fly in small flocks, and have a
shrill whistling note. They are very frequent in Siberia,

7. Pale markings on the upper 7. Pale markings on the upper

parts, dull gamboge yellow; parts larger, and inclining more
spotting more in oblong spots ; to clear white; above, more
and, on the wing and tail- in spots on the sides of the
coverts, take the form of bars. feathers.

8. Light markings on the tail 8. Light markings on the tail de-
dull and undecided, with a cided, nearly white; no dark
decided dark barring. bar through it.

9. Outer tail-feathers with pale 9. Outer tail-feathers, with white
margins, the distinct and fre- tip and outer margin, which
quent barring through the shoot down the rachis.

whole length.
10. Under wing coverts and axil- 10, Under wing-coverts and axil-

laries, pure white. laries, wood brown gray.

11. Lesser wing coverts, tipped 11. Lesser wing-coverts tipped and
with white, but otherwise of a rather broadly edged with
uniform colour. white.

C. pluvialis is introduced into the ‘‘ Northern Zoology,” but I strongly
suspect these excellent ornithologists have overlooked the other species.
Both may be natives of North America ; I have never, however, seen or
received extra European specimens of the golden plover ; I possess C.
Virginianus from India, Arctic America, and New Holland, which
seems, in all those countries, very and exclusively abundant, and has
always been confounded with its ally.

In plate 85 of “ Ornithological Illustrations,” this bird has most un-
accountably been described under the title of C. zanthochielus, Wagler.
It is undoubtedly this species, and figured from New Holland speci-
mens.—Ep.

* Arct. Zool. p. 484.

GOLDEN PLOVER. 369

where they likewise breed ; extend also to Kamtschatka, and
as far south as the Sandwich Isles. In this latter place, Mr
Pennant remarks, ‘they are very small.”

Although these birds are occasionally found along our sea-
coast from Georgia to Maine, yet they are nowhere numerous;
and I have never met with them in the interior. Our moun-
tains being generally covered with forest, and no species of
heath having as yet been discovered within the boundaries
of the United States, these birds are probably induced to
seek the more remote arctic regions of the continent to breed
and rear their young in, where the country is more open, and
unencumbered with woods.

The golden plover is ten inches and a half long, and
twenty-one inches in extent; bill, short, of a dusky slate
colour ; eye, very large, blue black; nostrils, placed in a deep
furrow, and half covered with a prominent membrane ; whole
upper parts, black, thickly marked with roundish spots of
various tints of golden yellow; wing-coverts and hind part
of the neck, pale brown, the latter streaked with yellowish ;
front, broad line over the eye, chin, and sides of the same,
yellowish white, streaked with small pointed spots of brown
olive; breast, gray, with olive and white; sides under the
wings, marked thinly with transverse bars of pale olive ;
belly and vent, white ; wing-quills, black, the middle of the
shafts marked with white; greater coverts, black tipt with
white; tail, rounded, black, barred with triangular spots of
golden yellow; legs, dark dusky slate ; feet, three-toed, with
generally the slight rudiments of a heel, the outer toe con-
nected, as far as the first joint, with the middle one. The
male and female differ very little in colour.

VOL. II. pai

370 KILDEER PLOVER.

KILDEER PLOVER. (Charadrius vociferus.)
PLATE LIX.—Fic. 6.

Arct. Zool. No. 400.—Catesby, i. 71.—Le Kildir, Buff. viii. 96.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 4174.

CHARADRIUS VOCIFERUS.—UInNNzUvSs.*
Charadrius vociferus, Bonap. Synop, North. Zool. ii. p. 368.

Tuts restless and noisy bird is known to almost every inhabi-
tant of the United States, being a common and pretty constant
resident. During the severity of winter, when snow covers the
ground, it retreats to the sea-shore, where it is found at all
seasons; but no sooner have the rivers broke up, than its shrill
note is again heard, either roaming about high in air, tracing
the shore of the river, or running amidst the watery flats and
meadows. As spring advances, it resorts to the newly-ploughed
fields, or level plains bare of grass interspersed with shallow
pools, or, in the vicinity of the sea, dry bare sandy fields.
In some such situation it generally chooses to breed about the
beginning of May. The nest is usually slight, a mere hollow,
with such materials drawn in around it as happen to be near,
such as bits of sticks, straw, pebbles, or earth. In one in-
stance, I found the nest of this bird paved with fragments
of clam and oyster shells, and very neatly surrounded with a
mound or border of the same, placed in a very close and
curious manner. In some cases there is no vestige whatever
of anest. The eggs are usually four, of a bright rich cream
or yellowish clay colour, thickly marked with blotches of
black. They are large for the size of the bird, measuring

-more than an inch and a half in length, and a full inch in

width, tapering to a narrow point at the great end.

* An abundant and well-known species, and peculiar to both conti-
nents of America, with some of the West Indian islands, According to
the “ Northern Zoology,” it arrives on the plains of the Saskatchewan
about the 20th of April, and at that season frequents the gardens and
cultivated fields of the trading post with the utmost familiarity,—Ep.

KILDEER PLOVER. Byl

Nothing can exceed the alarm and anxiety of these birds
during the breeding season. Their cries of kildeer, kildeer,
as they winnow the air overhead, dive and course around
you, or run along the ground counterfeiting lameness, are
shrill and incessant. The moment they see a person approach,
they fly or run to attack him with their harassing clamour,
continuing it over so wide an extent of ground, that they
puzzle the pursuer as to the particular spot where the nest or
young are concealed ; very much resembling, in this respect,
the lapwing of Europe. During the evening, and long after
dusk, particularly in moonlight, their cries are frequently
heard with equal violence, both in the spring and fall. From
this circumstance, and their flying about both after dusk and
before dawn, it appears probable that they see better at such
times than most of their tribe. They are known to feed much
on worms, and many of these rise to the surface during the
night. The prowling of owls may also alarm their fears for
their young-at those hours; but, whatever may be the cause,
the facts are so.

The kildeer is more abundant in the southern States in
winter than in summer. Among the rice-fields, and even
around the planters’ yards, in South Carolina, I observed
them very numerous in the months of February and March.
There the negro boys frequently practise the barbarous mode
of catching them with a line, at the extremity of which is a
crooked pin with a worm on it. Their flight is something
like that of the tern, but more vigorous; and they some-
times rise to a great height in the air. They are fond of
wading in pools of water, and frequently bathe themselves
during the summer. They usually stand erect on their legs,
and run or walk with the body in a stiff horizontal position ;
they run with great swiftness, and are also strong and vigorous
in the wings. Their flesh is eaten by some, but is not in
general esteem ; though others say that, in the fall, when they
become very fat, it is excellent.

During the extreme droughts of summer, these birds resort
to the gravelly channel of brooks and shallow streams, where

372 KILDEER PLOVER.

they can wade about in search of aquatic insects. At the close
of summer, they generally descend to the sea-shore, in small
flocks, seldom more than ten or twelve being seen together.
They are then more serene and silent, as well as difficult to
be approached.

The kildeer is ten inches long, and twenty inches in extent;
the bill is black; frontlet, chin, and ring round the neck,
white; fore part of the crown and auriculars, from the bill
backwards, blackish olive ; eyelids, bright scarlet; eye, very
large, and of a full black; from the centre of the eye back-
wards, a strip of white; round the lower part of the neck is
abroad band of black; below that, a band of white, succeeded
by another rounding band or crescent of black; rest of the
lower parts, pure white; crown and hind head, light olive
brown ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, olive brown, skirted
with brownish yellow; primary quills, black, streaked across
the middle with white; bastard wing, tipt with white;
greater coverts, broadly tipt with white; rump and _tail-
coverts, orange; tail, tapering, dull orange, crossed near the
end with a broad bar of black, and tipt with orange, the
two middle feathers near an inch longer than the adjoining
ones; legs and feet, a pale light clay colour. The tertials,
as usual in this tribe, are very long, reaching nearly to the
tips of the primaries; exterior toe, joined by a membrane to
the middle one, as far as the first joint.

GREAT TERN. (Sterna hirundo.)
PLATE LX.—Fre. 1.

Arct. Zool. p. 524, No. 448.—Le Pierre Garin, ou Grande Hirondelle de Mer, Buff.
viii. 331, Pl. enl. 987.—Bewick, li. 181.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3485.

STERNA WILSONIT.—BoNAPARTE.*
Sterna hirundo, Bonap. Synop. p. 354.—St. Wilsonii, Bonap. Osserv. Sulla, 24
edit. Del Regn. Anvm. Cuv. p. 135.
Ts bird belongs to a tribe very generally dispersed over the
shores of the ocean. Their generic characters are these :—

* Mr Ord, in his reprint, and C. L. Bonaparte, when writing his
« Synopsis and Observations on the Nomenclature of Wilson,” considered

‘O9
PADI] MMLAS OQ “LULUAYS YOO YP LZ PY) WAOYUS Gf LASSAT GE Uday Waky 7

UOSTLM, TF bi) ALHOKT Mok). UNG

GREAT TERN. 373

Bill, straight, sharp pointed, a little compressed, and strong ;
nostrils, linear; tongue, slender, pointed; legs, short; feet,
webbed ; hind toe and its nail, straight ; wings, long; tail,
generally forked. Turton enumerates twenty-five species of
this genus, scattered over various quarters of the world; six
of which, at least, are natives of the United States. From
their long pointed wings, they are generally known to sea-
faring people, and others residing near the sea-shore, by the
name of sea-swallows; though some few, from their near
resemblance, are confounded with the gulls.

The present species, or great tern, is common to the shores
of Europe, Asia, and America. It arrives on the coast of
New Jersey about the middle or 20th of April, led, no doubt,
by the multitudes of fish which at that season visit our shallow
bays and inlets. By many it is called the Sheep’s-head gull,
from arriving about the same time with the fish of that
name.

About the middle or 20th of May, this bird commences
laying. The preparation of a nest, which costs most other
birds so much time and ingenuity, is here altogether dispensed
with. ‘he eggs, generally three in number, are placed on the
surface of the dry drift grass, on the beach or salt marsh, and
covered by the female only during the night, or in wet, raw,
or stormy weather. At all other times, the hatching of them
is left to the heat of the sun. These eggs measure an inch
and three-quarters in length, by about an inch and two-tenths
in width, and are of a yellowish dun colour, sprinkled with
dark brown and pale Indian-ink. Notwithstanding they seem
thus negligently abandoned during the day, it is very different
in reality. One or both of the parents are generally fishing
within view of the place, and, on the near approach of any

this bird as identical with the St. hirundo of Europe. Later comparisons
by the Prince have induced him to consider it distinct, and peculiar to
America, and he has dedicated it to Wilson. That gentleman mentions,
as North American, in addition to the list by Wilson, St. cyanea, Lath. ;
St. arctica, Temm. ; St. stolida, Linn.—Ep,

3 74 GREAT TERN.

person, instantly make their appearance overhead, uttering
a hoarse jarring kind of ery, and flying about with evident
symptoms of great anxiety and consternation. The young are
generally produced at intervals of a day or so from each other,
and are regularly and abundantly fed for several weeks before
their wings are sufficiently grown to enable them to fly. At
first the parents alight with the fish which they have brought
in their mouth or in their bill, and tearing it in pieces, distri-
bute it in such portions as their young are able to swallow.
Afterwards they frequently feed them without alighting, as
they skim over the spot; and, as the young become nearly
ready to fly, they drop the fish among them, where the strong-
est and most active have the best chance to gobble it up. In
the meantime, the young themselves frequently search about
the marshes, generally not far apart, for insects of various
kinds; but so well acquainted are they with the peculiar
language of their parents that warn them of the approach of
an enemy, that, on hearing their cries, they instantly squat,
and remain motionless until the danger be over.

The flight of the great tern, and, indeed, of the whole tribe,
is not in the sweeping shooting manner of the land swallows,
notwithstanding their name; the motions of their long wings
are slower, and more in the manner of the gull.

They have, however, great powers of wing and strength in
the muscles of the neck, which enable them to make such
sudden and violent plunges, and that from a considerable
height too, headlong on their prey, which they never seize
but with their bills. In the evening, I have remarked, as
they retired from the upper parts of the bays, rivers, and
inlets to the beach for repose, about breeding time, that each
generally carried a small fish in his bill.

As soon as the young are able to fly, they lead them to the
sandy shoals and ripples where fish are abundant ; and while
they occasionally feed them, teach them by their example to
provide for themselves. They sometimes penetrate a great
way inland, along the courses of rivers; and are occasionally

GREAT TERN. 375

seen about all our numerous ponds, lakes, and rivers, most
usually near the close of the summer.

This species inhabits Europe as high as Spitzbergen ; is
found on the arctic coasts of Siberia and Kamtschatka, and
also on our own continent as far north as Hudson’s Bay. In
New England, it is called by some the Mackerel-cull. It
retires from all these places at the approach of winter to
more congenial seas and seasons.

The great tern is fifteen inches long, and thirty inches in
extent; bill, reddish yellow, sometimes brilliant crimson,
slightly angular on the lower mandible, and tipt with black ;
whole upper part of the head, black, extending to a point half
way down the neck behind, and including the eyes; sides
of the neck, and whole lower parts, pure white ; wing-quills,
hoary, as if bleached by the weather, long and pointed ; whole
back, scapulars, and wing, bluish white, or very pale lead
colour ; rump and tail-coverts, white; tail, long, and greatly
forked, the exterior feathers being three inches longer than
the adjoining ones, the rest shortening gradually for an inch
and a half to the middie ones, the whole of a pale lead colour ;
the outer edge of the exterior ones, black ; legs and webbed
feet, brilliant red lead ; membranes of the feet, deeply scal-
loped ; claws, large and black, middle one the largest. The
primary quill-feathers are generally dark on their inner edges.
The female differs in having the two exterior feathers of the
tail, considerably shorter. ‘The voice of these birds is like the
harsh jarring of an opening door rusted on its hinges. The
bone of the skull is remarkably thick and strong, as also the
membrane that surrounds the brain ; in this respect resembling
the woodpecker’s. In both, this provision is doubtless intended
to enable the birds to support, without injury, the violent con-
cussions caused by the plunging of the one and the chiselling
of the other.

376 ; LESSER TERN. -

LESSER TERN. (Sterna minuta.)
PLATE LX.—Fia. 2.

Arct. Zool. No. 449.—La Petite Hirondelle de Mer, Buff. viii. 337, Pl. ent. 996.—
Bewick, ii. 183.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3505.

STERNA MINUTA.—ULinN&vS.*

Sterna minuta, Bonap. Synop.—Flem. Br. Zool. p. 144.—Temm. Man. @ Orn.
as a Cy

Tis beautiful little species looks like the preceding in
miniature, but surpasses it far in the rich glossy satin-like
white plumage with which its throat, breast, and whole lower
parts are covered. Like the former, it is also a bird of passage,
but is said not to extend its migrations to so high a northern
latitude, being more delicate and susceptible of cold. It
arrives on the coast somewhat later than the other, but in
equal and perhaps greater numbers ; coasts along the shores,
and also over the pools in the salt marshes, in search of prawns,
of which it is particularly fond ; hovers, suspended in the air,
for a few moments above its prey, exactly in the manner of
some of our small hawks, and dashes headlong down into
the water after it, generally seizing it with its bill; mounts
instantly again to the same height, and moves slowly along
as before, eagerly examining the surface below. About the
25th of May, or beginning of June, the female begins to lay.

* This species is common to Europe and the northern continent of
America. Bonaparte mentions another closely allied species, which
appears to take its place in South America, and has been confounded
with it.

The breeding places of this tern are somewhat different from many
of those British species with which we are acquainted. Most of the
latter breed on rocky coasts and solitary islands, while the little tern
prefers flat shingly beaches, where the eggs are deposited in the manner
described by Wilson,—in some little hollow or footstep. They become
clamorous on approaching the nest, but seem hardly so familiar or bold
as most of the others. The young soon leave the hollow where they
were hatched, and move about as far as their limited powers will
allow.—Eb.

LESSER TERN. 77,

The eges are dropped on the dry and warm sand, the heat of
which, during the day, is fully sufficient for the purpose of
incubation. This heat is sometimes so great, that one can
scarcely bear the hand in it for a few moments without incon-
venience. ‘lhe wonder would, therefore, be the greater should
the bird sit on her eggs during the day, when her warmth is
altogether unnecessary, and perhaps injurious, than that she
should cover them only during the damps of night, and in
wet and stormy weather; and furnishes another proof that
the actions of birds are not the effect of mere blind impulse,
but of volition, regulated by reason, depending on various
incidental circumstances to which their parental cares are
ever awake. I lately visited those parts of the beach on Cape
May where this little bird breeds. The eggs, generally four
in number, were placed on the flat sands, safe beyond the
reach of the highest summer tide. They were of a yellowish
brown colour, blotched with rufous, and measured nearly an
inch and three-quarters in length. During my whole stay,
these birds flew in crowds around me, and often within a few
yards of my head, squeaking like so many young pigs, which
their voice strikingly resembles. A humming-bird, that had
accidentally strayed to the place, appeared suddenly among
this outrageous group, several of whom darted angrily at him ;
but he shot like an arrow from them, directing his flight
straight towards the ocean. Ihave no doubt but the dis-
tressing cries of the terns had drawn this little creature to
the scene, having frequently witnessed his anxious curiosity
on similar occasions in the woods.

The lesser tern feeds on beetles, crickets, spiders, and other
insects, which it picks up from the marshes, as well as on
small fish, on which it plunges at sea. Like the former, it
also makes extensive incursions inland along the river courses,
and has frequently been shot several hundred miles from the
sea. It sometimes sits for hours together on the sands, as if
resting after the fatigues of flight to which it is exposed.

The lesser tern is extremely tame and unsuspicious, often

378 LESSER TERN.

passing you on its flight, and within a few yards, as it traces
the windings and indentations of the shore in search of its
favourite prawns and skippers. Indeed, at such times if
appears altogether heedless of man, or its eagerness for food
overcomes its apprehensions for its own safety. We read in
ancient authors, that the fishermen used to float a cross of
wood, in the middle of which was fastened a small fish for a
bait, with limed twigs stuck to the four corners, on which the
bird darting was entangled by the wings. But this must have
been for mere sport, or for its feathers, the value of the bird
being scarcely worth the trouble, as they are generally lean,
and the flesh savouring strongly of fish.

The lesser tern is met with in the south of Russia, and
about the Black and Caspian Seas; also in Siberia about the
Irtish.* With the former, it inhabits the shores of England
during the summer, where it breeds, and migrates, as it does
here, to the south as the cold of autumn approaches.

This species is nine and a half inches long, and twenty
inches in extent ; bill, bright reddish yellow ; nostril, pervious ;
lower mandible, angular ; front, white, reaching in two narrow
points over the eye; crown, band through the eye, and hind
head, black, tapering to a point as it descends; cheeks, sides
of the neck, and whole lower parts, of the most rich and glossy
white, like the brightest satin; upper parts of the back and
wings, a pale glossy ash or light lead colour ; the outer edges
of the three exterior primaries, black, their inner edges white ;
tail, pale ash, but darker than the back, and forked, the two
outer feathers an inch longer, tapering to a point ; legs and
feet, reddish yellow ; webbed feet, claws, and hind toe exactly
formed like those of the preceding. The female nearly
resembles the male, with the exception of having the two
exterior tail-feathers shorter.

* Pennant.

SHORT-TAILED TERN. 379

SHORT-TAILED TERN. (Sterna plumbea.)
PLATE LX.—Fie. 3.

Peale’s Museum, No. 3519.

STERNA NIGRA.—LINN&zUS.*
Sterna plumbea, Bonap. Nomencl. No. 244.—Sterna nigra, Bonap. Synop. p. 355.

A SPECIMEN of this bird was first sent me by Mr Beasley of
Cape May ; but being in an imperfect state, | could form no
correct notion of the species, sometimes supposing it might
be a young bird of the preceding tern. Since that time, how-
ever, I have had an opportunity of procuring a considerable
number of this same kind, corresponding almost exactly with
each other. I have ventured to introduce it in this place as
a new species ; and have taken pains to render the figure in
the plate a correct likeness of the original.

On the 6th of September 1812, after a violent north-east
storm, which inundated the meadows of Schuylkill in many
places, numerous flocks of this tern all at once made their
appearance, flying over those watery spaces, picking up grass-
hoppers, beetles, spiders, and other insects, that were floating
on the surface. Some hundreds of them might be seen at the
same time, and all seemingly of one sort. ‘They were busy,
silent, and unsuspicious, darting down after their prey without
hesitation, though perpetually harassed by gunners, whom the
novelty of their appearance had drawn to the place. Several
flocks of the yellow-shanks snipe, and a few purres, appeared

* C. L. Bonaparte remarks,—‘‘ 8. plumbea is evidently, even judging
only by Wilson’s figure and description, no other than the young of the
European S. nigra, of which so many nominal species had already been
made. Indeed, so evident did the matter appear to us, even before we
compared the species, that we cannot conceive why this hypothesis did
not strike every naturalist, particularly as the S. negra is well known to
inhabit these States, though not noticed by Wilson in its adult dress.
It is a singular fact that we hardly observed one adult among twenty
young, which were common in the latter part of summer at Long Beach,
New York.”—Ep.

380 SHORT-TAILED TERN.

also in the meadows at the same time, driven thither doubtless
by the violence of the storm.

I examined upwards of thirty individuals of this species
by dissection, and found both sexes alike in colour. Their
stomachs contained grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, &c., but
no fish. The people on the sea-coast have since informed me
that this bird comes to them only in the fall, or towards the
end of summer, and is more frequently seen about the mill-
ponds and fresh-water marshes than in the bays; and add,
that it feeds on grasshoppers and other insects which it finds
on the meadows and marshes, picking them from the grass,
as well as from the surface of the water. ‘They have never
known it to associate with the lesser tern, and consider it
altogether a different bird. This opinion seems confirmed by
the above circumstances, and by the fact of its greater extent
of wing, being full three inches wider than the lesser tern ;
and also making its appearance after the others have gone off.

The short-tailed tern measures eight inches and a half
from the point of the bill to the tip of the tail, and twenty-
three inches in extent; the bill is an inch and a quarter in
length, sharp pointed, and of a deep black colour ; a patch of
black covers the crown, auriculars, spot before the eye and
hind head ; the forehead, eyelids, sides of the neck, passing
quite round below the hind head, and whole lower parts, are
pure white ; the back is dark ash, each feather broadly tipt
with brown; the wings, a dark lead colour, extending an inch
and a half beyond the tail, which is also of the same tint, and
slightly forked; shoulders of the wing, brownish ash; legs
and webbed feet, tawny. It had a sharp shrill ery when
wounded and taken.

This is probably the brown tern mentioned by Willoughby,
of which so many imperfect accounts have already been given.
The figure in the plate, like those which accompany it, is
reduced to one half the size of life.

BLACK SKIMMER, OR SHEERWATER. 38 I

BLACK SKIMMER, OR SHEERWATER.
‘ (Rhynchops nigra.)

PLATE LX.—Fie. 4.

Arct. Zool. No. 445.—Catesby, i. 90.—Le Bec-en-ciseaux, Buff. viii. 454, tab. 36.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 3530.

RHYNCHOPS NIGRA.—Linnaxvs.*

Rhynchops nigra, Steph. Cont. Sh. Zool. vol. xiii. p. 136.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. i.
522.—Bonap. Synop.— Less. Man. d’Orn. ii. p. 385.

Tuts truly singular fowl is the only species of its tribe
hitherto discovered. Like many others, it is a bird of pas-
sage in the United States, and makes its first appearance on the
shores of New Jersey early in May. It resides there, as well
as along the whole Atlantic coast, during the summer ; and
retires early in September. Its favourite haunts are low
sandbars raised above the reach of the summer tides, and
also dry flat sands on the beach in front of the ocean. On
such places it usually breeds along the shores of Cape May,
in New Jersey. On account of the general coldness of the
spring there, the sheerwater does not begin to lay until early
in June, at which time these birds form themselves into small

* This very curious genus is composed, according to ornithologists,
of two species,—that of our author and the A. flavirostris, Vieillot ;
though I suspect that another is involved in the birds which I have
seen from the Southern Ocean. In form and plumage they bear a
strong resemblance to the terns, but are at once distinguished by the
bill, which will show the greatest instance of the lateral development
of that member. The manners of these birds, in adaptation to the
structure of the bill and mouth, are noted by our author ; and it seems
generally thought that their practice of skimming and cutting the
water, as it were in search of food, is their only mode of procuring sub-
sistence. The immense flocks of this species, mingled with gulls and
terns, with their peculiar mode of feeding on some bivalve shells,
is thus described by Lesson, and shows that sometimes a more substantial
food is required, for the procuring of which the form of their bill is no
less beautifully adapted, and that the opinion of Wilson is at variance
with reality :—“ Il formait avec les mouettes et quelque autres oiseaux

282 BLACK SKIMMER, OR SHEERWATER.

societies, fifteen or twenty pair frequently breeding within a
few yards of each other. The nest is a mere hollow formed
in the sand, without any other materials. The female lays
three eggs, almost exactly oval, of a clear white, marked with
large round spots of brownish black, and intermixed with
others of pale Indian-ink. These eggs measure one inch and
three-quarters, by one inch and a quarter. Half a bushel and
more of eges have sometimes been collected from one sandbar,
within the compass of half an acre. These eggs have some-
thing of a fishy taste, but are eaten by many people on the
coast. ‘The female sits on them only during the night, or in
wet and stormy weather. The young remain for several
weeks before they are able to fly ; are fed with great assiduity
by both parents, and seem to delight in lying with loosened
wings, flat on the sand, enjoying its invigorating warmth.
They breed but once in the season.

The singular confirmation of the bill of this bird has ex-
cited much surprise ; and some writers, measuring the divine
proportions of nature by their own contracted standards of
conception, in the plenitude of their vanity have pronounced
it to be “a lame and defective weapon.” Such ignorant pre-
sumption, or rather impiety, ought to hide its head in the
dust on a calm display of the peculiar construction of this

de mer, des bandes tellement épaisses quwil resemblait 4 des longues
écharpes noires et mobiles qui obscurcissaient le ciel depuis les rives de
Penco jusqu’ a litle de Quiriquine, dans un espace de douze milles,
Quoique le bec-en-ciseaux semble défavorisé par la forme de son bec,
nous aquimes la preuve quwil savait s’en servir avec avantage et avec le
plus grande adresse. Les plages sablonneuses de Penco sont en effet
remplies de Mactres, coquilles bivalves, que la marée decendente laisse
presque a sec dans des petites mares ; le bec-en-ciseaux tres au fait de
ce phénomene, se place aupres de ces mollusques, attend que leur valve
sent ouvre un peu, et profite aussitdt de ce mouvement en enforcant la
lame inférieure, et tranchante de son bec entre les valves qui se refer-
ment. L’oiseaux enléve alors la coquille, la frappe sur la greve, coupe
le ligament du molusque, et peut ensuite avaler celui-ci sans obstacle.
Plusieurs fois nous avons été témoins de cet instinct tres perfec-
tionné.”—Eb.

BLACK SKIMMER, OR SHEERWATER. 383

singular bird, and the wisdom by which it is so admirably
adapted to the purposes or mode of existence for which it was
intended. The sheerwater is formed for skimming, while on
wing, the surface of the sea for its food, which consists of small
fish, shrimps, young fry, &c., whose usual haunts are near the
shore and towards the surface. That the lower mandible,
when dipt into and cleaving the water, might not retard the
bird’s way, it is thinned and sharpened like the blade of a
knife; the upper mandible being, at such times, elevated
above water, is curtailed in its length, as being less necessary,
but tapering gradually to a point, that, on shutting, it may
offer less opposition. ‘To prevent inconvenience from the
rushing of the water, the mouth is confined to the mere opening
of the gullet, which, indeed, prevents mastication taking place
there ; but the stomach, or gizzard, to which this business is
solely allotted, is of uncommon hardness, strength, and muscu-
larity, far surpassing, in these respects, any other water-bird
with which I am acquainted. To all these is added a vast
expansion of wing, to enable the bird to sail with sufficient
celerity while dipping in the water. The general proportion
of the length of our swiftest hawks and swallows to their
breadth is as one to two; but, in the present case, as there
is not only the resistance of the air, but also that of the
water, to overcome, a still greater volume of wing is given, the
sheerwater measuring nineteen inches in length, and upwards
of forty-four in extent. In short, whoever has attentively
examined this curious apparatus, and observed the possessor,
with his ample wings, long bending neck, and lower mandible,
occasionally dipped into and ploughing the surface, and the
facility with which he procures his food, cannot but consider
it a mere playful amusement when compared with the dashing
immersions of the tern, the gull, or the fish-hawk, who, to
the superficial observer, appear so superiorly accommodated.
The sheerwater is most frequently seen skimming close
along shore about the first of the flood, at which time the
young fry, shrimp, &c., are most abundant in such places,

384 BLACK SKEIMMER, OR SHEERWATER.

There are also numerous inlets among the low islands between
the sea-beach and mainland of Cape May, where I have
observed the sheerwaters, eight or ten in company, passing
and repassing, at high water, particular estuaries of those
creeks that run up into the salt marshes, dipping, with
extended neck, their open bills into the water, with as much
apparent ease as swallows glean up flies from the surface.
On examining the stomachs of several of these, shot at the
time, they contained numbers of a small fish usually called
silver-sides, from a broad line of a glossy silver colour that
runs from the gills to the tail. The mouths of these inlets
abound with this fry or fish, probably feeding on the various
matters washed down from the marshes.

The voice of the sheerwater is harsh and screaming, resem-
bling that of the tern, but stronger. It flies with a slowly
flapping flight, dipping occasionally, with steady expanded
wings and bended neck, its lower mandible into the sea, and
with open mouth receiving its food as it ploughs along the
surface. It is rarely seen swimming on the water ; but fre-
quently rests in large parties on the sandbars at low water.
One of these birds which I wounded in the wing, and kept in
the room beside me for several days, soon became tame, and
even familiar. It generally stood with its legs erect, its body
horizontal, and its neck rather extended. It frequently
reposed on its belly, and stretching its neck, rested its long
bill on the floor. It spent most of its time in this way, or in
dressing and arranging its plumage with its long scissors-like
bill, which it seemed to perform with great ease and dexterity.
It refused every kind of food offered it, and I am persuaded
never feeds but when on the wing. As to the reports of its
frequenting oyster-beds, and feeding on these fish, they are
contradicted by all those persons with whom I have conversed
whose long residence on the coast where these birds are com-
mon has given them the best opportunities of knowing.

The sheerwater is nineteen inches in length, from the point
of the bill to the extremity of the tail; the tips of the wings,

BLACK SKIMMER, OR SHEERWATER. 385

when shut, extend full four inches farther ; breadth, three feet
eight inches; length of the lower mandible, four inches and a
half; of the upper, three inches and a half; both of a scarlet
red, tinged with orange, and ending in black; the lower
extremely thin; the upper grooved, so as to receive the edge
of the lower; the nostril is large and pervious, placed in a
hollow near the base and edge of the upper mandible, where
it projects greatly over the lower; upper part of the head,
neck, back, and scapulars, deep black; wings, the same,
except the secondaries, which are white on the inner vanes,
and also tipt with white; tail, forked, consisting of twelve
feathers, the two middle ones about an inch and a half shorter
than the exterior ones, all black, broadly edged on both
sides with white ; tail-coverts, white on the outer sides, black
in the middle; front, passing down the neck below the eye,
throat, breast, and whole lower parts, pure white; legs and
webbed feet, bright scarlet, formed almost exactly like those
of the tern. Weight, twelve ounces avoirdupois. ‘The female
weighed nine ounces, and measured only sixteen inches in
length, and three feet three inches in extent; the colours and
markings were the same as those of the male, with the excep-
tion of the tail, which was white, shafted, and broadly centred
with black. 2

The birds from which these descriptions were taken were
shot on the 25th of May, before they had begun to breed.
The female contained a great number of eggs, the largest of
which were about the size of duckshot; the stomach, in both,
was an oblong pouch, ending in a remarkably hard gizzard,
curiously puckered or plaited, containing the half-dissolved
fragments of the small silver-sides, pieces of shrimps, small
crabs, and skippers, or sandfleas.

On some particular parts of the coast of Virginia, these
birds are seen on low sandbars in flocks of several hun-
dreds together. There more than twenty nests have been
found within the space of a square rod. ‘The young are

at first so exactly of a colour with the sand on which they
VOL. II. 23

386 STORMY PETREL.

sit, as to be with difficulty discovered unless after a close
search.

The sheerwater leaves our shores soon after his young are
fit for the journey. He is found on various coasts of Asia,
as well as America, residing principally near the tropics, and
migrating into the temperate regions of the globe only for the
purpose of rearing his young. He is rarely or never seen far
out at sea; and must not be mistaken for another bird of the
same name, a species of petrel,* which is met with on every
part of the ocean, skimming with bended wings along the
summits, declivities, and hollows of the waves.

STORMY PETREL. (Procellaria pelagica.)

PLATE LX.—Fie. 6.

Arct. Zool. No. 464.—Le Petrel, ou ?Oiseaux Tempéte, Pl. enl. 993.—Bewick, ii.
223.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3034.

THALASIDROMA WILSONITI.—BONAPARTE.t

Thalasidroma Wilsonii, Bonap. Synop. p. 367.—Procellaria Wilsonii, Steph. Cont.
Sh. Zool. xiii. p. 224.—Procellaria Wilsonii, Ord’s reprint of Wils. p. 94.—
Journ. of the Acad. of N. S. of Philad. iii. p. 231, pl. ix.

THERE are few persons who have crossed the Atlantic, or
traversed much of the ocean, who have not observed these

* Procellaria puffinus, the sheerwater petrel.

7 This species, confounded (and with little wonder, from its near
alliance) by Wilson with the P. pelasgica, has been named as above
by the Prince of Musignano, another tribute to the memory of our
American ornithologist, and he has added the following differences and
distinctive characters. Bonaparte has also added the 7. Bullockii to
the American list.

The smaller petrels of other countries are much allied to these ; they
amount to a considerable number, many of which are yet undetermined,
and are confused with each other, in the want of proper distinguishing
characters being assigned to each. It is from this that the P. pelasgica
has been assigned a distribution so extensive. Some species are found
in most latitudes, and from their similarity most observers seem to be

STORMY. PETREL., 387

solitary wanderers of the deep skimming along the surface of
the wild and wasteful ocean; flitting past the vessel like
swallows, or following in her wake, gleaning their scanty
pittance of food from the rough and whirling surges.
Habited in mourning, and making their appearance generally
in greater numbers previous to or during a storm, they have
long been fearfully regarded by the ignorant and superstitious,

unaware when they have passed the boundary of one, and entered the
opposite limits of another form.

They resemble each other in another propensity,—that of following
the course of vessels, attracted by the shelter afforded in the wake, or
retained by the small marine insects and seeds which are sucked into
it, and the subsistence they may obtain from the refuse thrown over-
board. Being most commonly seen when all is gloomy above, the view
bounded by the horizon alone, or by a thick atmosphere and boisterous
waves, and when they are the only beings visible, running on the
“trough of the sea,”—

As though they were the shadows of themselves,
Reflected from a loftier flight through space—

it can hardly be wondered at that associations with the spirits have
arisen in the minds of men naturally prone, and sometimes wrought up
to superstition, and that they have begotten for themselves such names
as are quoted by our author. These ideas are universal. Several small
species about the Madeiras bear the name of Anhiga, conveying the
idea of their affinity to imps.

Procellaria Bullockw has been described by Bonaparte in the Journal
of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia as an addition to
the birdsof America. It is stated to be but rare throughout the Atlantic
Ocean, and to be found on the Banks of Newfoundland. It is also
European, and was first discovered by Mr Bullock breeding at St Kilda,
and ought now to stand under the name of its discoverer, Zhalasidroma
Bullockit. They also sometimes occur on the mainland of Britain ; and
it is remarkable that all those procured there have been found in a
dead or dying state in some frequented place—often on the public road.
It is expressly mentioned by M. Frecynet, in his “‘ Voyage Autour du
Monde,” that the small petrels cannot rise from a flat surface, such as
the deck of a ship. It is possible that the specimens discovered in this
state of exhaustion may have been unable again to resume their flight,
and thus perished. Two specimens occurred in Dumfriesshire during
the last year, both found on the public road,—the one dead, the other
nearly so.—ED.

388 STORMY PETREL.

not only as the foreboding messengers of tempests and dangers
to the hapless mariner, but as wicked agents, connected,
somehow or other, in creating them, “Nobody,” say they,
“can tell anything of where they come from or how they
breed, though (as sailors sometimes say) it is supposed that
they hatch their eggs under their wings as they sit on the
water.” This mysterious uncertainty of their origin, and the
circumstances above recited, have doubtless given rise to the
opinion so prevalent among this class of men, that they are
in some way or other connected with that personage who has
been styled the Prince of the Power of the Air. In every
country where they are known, their names have borne some
affinity to this belief. They have been called Witches,*
Stormy petrels, the Devil's birds, Mother Carey's chickens,t+
probably from some celebrated ideal hag of that name; and
their unexpected and numerous appearance has frequently
thrown a momentary damp over the mind of the hardiest,
seaman.

It is the business of the naturalist and the glory of philo-
sophy to examine into the reality of these things, to dissipate
the clouds of error and superstition wherever they begin to
darken and bewilder the human understanding, and to illustrate
nature with the radiance of truth. With these objects in
view, we shall now proceed, as far as the few facts we possess
will permit, in our examination into the history of this cele-
brated species.

The stormy petrel, the least of the whole twenty-four
species of its tribe enumerated by ornithologists, and the
smallest of all palmated fowls, is found over the whole Atlantic
Ocean from Europe to North America, at all distances from
land, and in all weathers, but is particularly numerous near
vessels immediately preceding and during a gale, when flocks of

* Arctic Zoology, p. 464.

+ This name seems to have been originally given them by Captain
Carteret’s sailors, who met with these birds on the coast of Chili. See
Hawkesworth’s Voyages, vol. i. p. 203.

STORMY PETREL. 389

them crowd in her wake, seeming then more than usually active
in picking up various matters from the surface of the water.
This presentiment of a change of weather is not peculiar to
the petrel alone, but is noted in many others, and common to
all, even to those long domesticated. ‘The woodpeckers, the
snow-birds, the swallows, are all observed to be uncommonly
busy before a storm, searching for food with great eagerness,
as if anxious to provide for the privations of the coming tem-
pest. ‘The common ducks and geese are infallibly noisy and
tumultuous before falling weather; and though, with these,
the attention of man renders any extra exertions for food at
such times unnecessary, yet they wash, oil, dress, and arrange
their plumage with uncommon diligence and activity. The
intelligent and observing farmer remarks this bustle, and
wisely prepares for the issue; but he is not so ridiculously
absurd as to suppose that the storm which follows is produced
by the agency of these feeble creatures, who are themselves
equal sufferers by its effects with man. He looks on them
rather as useful monitors, who, from the delicacy of their
organs, and a perception superior to his own, point out the
change in the atmosphere before it has become sensible to his
erosser feelings, and thus, in a certain degree, contribute to his
security. And why should not those who navigate the ocean
contemplate the appearance of this unoffending little bird in
like manner, instead of eyeing it with hatred and execration ?
~ As well might they curse the midnight lighthouse, that, star-
like, guides them on their watery way, or the buoy that warns
them of the sunken rocks below, as this harmless wanderer,
whose manner informs them of the approach of the storm, and
thereby enables them to prepare for it.

The stormy petrels, or Mother Carey’s chickens, breed in
great numbers on the rocky shores of the Bahama and the
Bermuda Islands, and in some places on the coast of Hast
Florida and Cuba, They breed in communities like the bank-
swallows, making their nests in the holes and cavities of the
rocks above the sea, returning to feed their young only during

390 SHORM NG TAL LRA,

the night, with the superabundant oily food from their
stomachs. At these times they may be heard making a con-
tinued cluttering sound like frogs during the whole night.
In the day they are silent, and wander widely over the ocean.
This easily accounts for the vast distance they are sometimes
seen from land, even in the breeding season. ‘The rapidity of
their flight is at least equal to the fleetness of our swallows.
Calculating this at the rate of one mile per minute, twelve
hours would be sufficient to waft them a distance of seven
hundred and twenty miles; but it is probable that the far
ereater part confine themselves much nearer land during that
interesting period.

In the month of July, while on a voyage from New Orleans
to New York, I saw few or none of these birds in the Gulf of
Mexico, although our ship was detained there by calms for
twenty days, and carried by currents as far south as Cape
Antonio, the westernmost extremity of Cuba. On entering
the Gulf Stream, and passing along the coasts of Florida and
the Carolinas, these birds made their appearance in great
numbers, and in all weathers, contributing much by their
sprightly evolutions of wing to enliven the scene, and affording
me every day several hours of amusement. It is indeed an
interesting sight to observe these little birds ina gale, coursing
over the waves, down the declivities, up the ascents of the
foaming surf that threatens to burst over their heads, sweeping
along the hollow troughs of the sea as in a sheltered valley,
and again mounting with the rising billow, and just above
its surface, occasionally dropping its feet, which, striking the
water, throws it up again with additional force ; sometimes
leaping, with both legs parallel, on the surface of the roughest
waves for several yards at a time. Meanwhile it continues
coursing from side to side of the ship’s wake, making excur-
sions far and wide to the right hand and to the left, now a great
way ahead, and now shooting astern for several hundred yards,
returning again to the ship as if she were all the while sta-
tionary, though perhaps running at the rate of ten knots an

STORMY PETREL. 391

hour. But the most singular peculiarity of this bird is its
faculty of standing, and even running, on the surface of the
water, which it performs with apparent facility. When any
greasy matter is thrown overboard, these birds instantly collect
around it, and facing to windward, with their long wings
expanded, and their webbed feet patting the water, the light-
ness of their bodies and the action of the wind on their wings
enable them to do this with ease. In calm weather they per-
form the same manceuvre, by keeping their wings just so much
in action as to prevent their feet from sinking below the sur-
face. According to Buffon,* it is from this singular habit
that the whole genus have obtained the name petrel, from the
apostle Peter, who, as scripture informs us, also walked on
the water.

As these birds often come up immediately under the stern,
one can examine their form and plumage with nearly as much
accuracy as if they were in the hand. They fly with the wings
forming an almost straight horizontal line with the body, the
legs extended behind, and the feet partly seen stretching
beyond the tail. Their common note of ‘weet, weet,” is
scarcely louder than that of a young duck of a week old, and
much resembling it. During the whole of a dark, wet, and
boisterous night which I spent on deck, they flew about the
after-rigging, making a singular hoarse chattering, which in
sound resembled the syllables patrét tu cuk cuk tu tu, laying
the accent strongly on the second syllable éret. Nowand then
I conjectured that they alighted on the rigging, making then
a lower curring noise.

Notwithstanding the superstitious fears of the seamen, who
dreaded the vengeance of the survivors, I shot fourteen of these
birds one calm day in lat. 33,° eighty or ninety miles off the
coast of Carolina, and had the boat lowered to pick them up.
These J examined with considerable attention, and found the
most perfect specimens as follow :—

* Buffon, tome xxii. p. 299.

392 STORMY PETREL.

Length, six inches and three-quarters; extent, thirteen
inches and a half; bill, black; nostrils, united in a tubular
projection, the upper mandible grooved from thence, and
overhanging the lower like that of a bird of prey ; head, back,
and lower parts, brown sooty black ; greater wing-coverts, pale
brown, minutely tipt with white ; sides of the vent, and whole
tail-coverts, pure white; wings and tail, deep black, the latter
nearly even at the tip, or very slightly forked ; in some speci-
mens, two or three of the exterior tail-feathers were white for
an inch or so at the root; legs and naked part of the thighs,
black ; feet, webbed, with the slight rudiments of a hind toe ;

‘ the membrane of the foot is marked with a spot of straw

yellow, and finely serrated along the edges ; eyes, black. Male
and female differing nothing in colour.

On opening these, I found the first stomach large, contain-
ing numerous round semi-transparent substances of an amber
colour, which I at first suspected to be the spawn of some fish,
but on a more close and careful inspection, they proved to
be a vegetable substance, evidently the seeds of some marine
plant, and about as large as mustard seed. The stomach of
one contained a fish, half digested, so large that I should have
supposed it too bulky for the bird to swallow ; another was filled
with the tallow which I had thrown overboard ; and all had
quantities of the seeds already mentioned both in their stomachs
and gizzards ; in the latter were also numerous minute pieces
of barnacle shells. On a comparison of the seeds above men-
tioned with those of the G'ul/weed, so common and abundant
in this part of the ocean, they were found to be the same.
Thus it appears that these seeds, floating perhaps a little
below the surface, and the barnacles with which ships’ bottoms
usually abound, being both occasionally thrown up to the sur-
face by the action of the vessel through the water in blowing
weather, entice these birds to follow in the ship’s wake at
such times, and not, as some have imagined, merely to seek
shelter from the storm, the greatest violence of which they
seem to disregard. There is also the greasy dish-washings

STORMY PETREL. 393

and other oily substances thrown over by the cook, on which
they feed with avidity, but with great good nature, their
manners being so gentle, that I never observed the slightest
appearance of quarrelling or dispute among them.

One circumstance is worthy of being noticed, and shows the
vast range they take over the ocean. In firing at these birds,
a quill-feather was broken in each wing of an individual, and
hung fluttering in the wind, which rendered it so conspicuous
among the rest as to be known to all on board. This bird,
notwithstanding its inconvenience, continued with us for nearly
a week, during which we sailed a distance of more than four
hundred miles to the north. Flocks continued to follow us
until near Sandy Hook.

The length of time these birds remain on wing is no less
surprising, As soon as it was light enough in the morning
to perceive them, they were found roaming about as usual;
and I have often sat in the evening, in the boat which was sus-
pended by the ship’s stern, watching their movements, until
it was so dark that the eye could no longer follow them,
though I could still hear their low note of weet, weet, as they
approached near to the vessel below me.

These birds are sometimes driven by violent storms to a
considerable distance inland. One was shot some years ago
on the river Schuylkill near Philadelphia ; and Bewick men-
tions their being found in various quarters of the interior of
England. From the nature of their food, their flesh is rank
and disagreeable, though they sometimes become so fat, that,
as Mr Pennant, on the authority of Brunnich, asserts, “the
inhabitants of the Feroe Isles make them serve the purposes
of a candle, by drawing a wick through the mouth and rump,
which, being lighted, the flame is fed by the fat and oil of the
body.” *

[Mr Ord adds, in his reprint, “When this work was pub-
lished, its author was not aware that those birds observed by
* British Zoology, vol. i. p. 434.

ee
SO

304 STORMY PETREL.

navigators in almost every quarter of the globe, and known
under the name of stormy petrels, formed several distinct
species ; consequently, relying on the labours of his predeces-
sors, he did not hesitate to name the subject of this chapter
the pelagica, believing it to be identical with that of Europe.
But the investigations of later ornithologists having resulted
in the conviction that Europe possessed at least two. species of
these birds, it became a question whether or not those which
are common on the coasts of the United States would form a
third species ; and an inquiry has established the fact that the
American stormy petrel, hitherto supposed to be the true

' pelagica, is an entirely distinct species. For this discovery

we are indebted to the labours of Mr Charles Bonaparte, from
whose interesting paper on the subject, published in the
Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,
we shall take the liberty of making an extract. The author
of the paper in question first describes and figures the true
pelagica of the systems; secondly, the Leachw, a species
described by ‘l'emminck, and restricted to the vicinity of the
Island of St Kilda, but which the former found diffused over
a creat part of the Atlantic, east of the Banks of Newfound-
land; and thirdly, the species of our coasts. He also indicates
a fourth, which inhabits the Pacific Ocean ; but whether or
not this last be in reality a species different from those named,
has not yet been determined.

“When I first procured this species, says Mr Bonaparte,
‘I considered it a nondescript, and noted it as such; the cita-
tion of Wilson’s pelagica among the synonyms of the true
pelagica by the most eminent ornithologist of the age, M.
Temminck, not permitting a doubt of their identity. But
having an opportunity of inspecting the very individual from
which Wilson took his figure and drew up his description, I
was undeceived, by proving the unity of my specimens with
that of Wilson, and the discrepancy of these with that of
Temminck. The latter had certainly never seen an individual
from America, otherwise the difference between the two species

Engraved by WH Lvars

Prawn from Nature by A Wilson

1. Green Heven.. 2 Vight i 3. Young. 4 ticat White H

GREEN HERON. 395

would not have eluded the accurate eye of this naturalist. I
propose for this species the name of Walsoniz, as a small testi-
mony of respect to the memory of the author of the “ American
Ornithology,” whose loss science and America will long deplore.
The yellow spot upon the membrane of the feet distinguishes
this species, at first sight, from the others ; and this character
remains permanent in the dried specimens.’ ”’|

GREEN HERON. (Ardea virescens.)
PLATE LXI.—Frc. 1.

Arct. Zool. No. 349, 350.—Catesby, i. p. 80.—Le Crabier Vert, Buff. vii. p. 404.—
Lath. Syn. iii. p. 68.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3797.

ARDEA VIRESCENS.—LINNAUS.*
Ardea virescens, Bonap. Synop. p. 307.—Wadgl. Syst. Av. No. 36.

Tis common and familiar species owes little to the liberality
of public opinion, whose prejudices have stigmatised it with
a very vulgar and indelicate nickname, and treat it on all

* There are two or three beautiful little herons confounded under this
species, in the same manner, from their near alliance, as the little bittern
of Europe has been with A. ewili’s and pusilla. They are all, however,
to be distinguished when compared together, or when attention is given
to the markings. The nearest ally to A. virescens is the East Indian A.
scapularis ; the upper parts of both are nearly similar, but the neck and
under parts differ in being of a deep vinous chestnut in the one, and rich
ash grey in the other. In Wilson’s plate, the chestnut colour is not re-
presented of a deep enough tint, and too much white is shown on the
fore part.

In a specimen which I have lately received from South Carolina, the
colour of the neck is very deep and rich, almost approaching to that of
port wine ; the lengthened feathers of the back are remarkably long,
and show well the white shafts which ought to be so conspicuous in both
species. The confusion in the greater part of the synonyms must have
arisen by the specimens from both countries being indiscriminately com-
pared and described.— Ep.

396 GREEN HERON.~

occasions as worthless and contemptible. Yet few birds are

more independent of man than this; for it fares best, and is.

always most numerous, where cultivation is least known or
attended to, its favourite residence being the watery solitudes
of swamps, pools, and morasses, where millions of frogs and
lizards “tune their nocturnal notes” in full chorus, undisturbed
by the lords of creation.

The green bittern makes its first appearance in Penn-
sylvania early in April, soon after the marshes are completely
thawed. ‘There, among the stagnant ditches with which they
are intersected, and amidst the bogs and quagmires, he hunts
with great cunning and dexterity. Frogs and small fish are

his principal game, whose caution and facility of escape re-

quire nice address and rapidity of attack. When on the look-
out for small fish, he stands in the water, by the side of the
ditch, silent and motionless as a statue, his neck drawn in
over his breast, ready for action. The instant a fry or minnow
comes within the range of his bill, by a stroke, quick and sure
as that of the rattlesnake, he seizes his prey, and swallows it
in an instant. He searches for small crabs, and for the various
worms and larvee, particularly those of the dragon-fly, which
lurk in the mud, with equal adroitness. But the capturing of
frogs requires much nicer management. ‘These wary reptiles
shrink into the mire on the least alarm, and do not raise up
their heads again to the surface without the most cautious cir-
cumspection. ‘The bittern, fixing his penetrating eye on the
spot where they disappeared, approaches with slow stealing
step, laying his feet so gently and silently on the ground as
not to be heard or felt; and when arrived within reach, stands
fixed, and bending forwards, until the first glimpse of the
frog’s head makes its appearance, when, witha stroke instan-
taneous as lightning, he seizes it in his bill, beats it to death,
and feasts on it at his leisure.

This mode of life, requiring little fatigue where game is so
plenty as is generally the case in all our marshes, must be
particularly pleasing to the bird, and also very interesting,

GREEN HERON. my
397

from the continual exercise of cunning and ingenuity neces-
sary to circumvent its prey. Some of the naturalists of Europe,
however, in their superior wisdom, think very differently ; and
one can scarcely refrain from smiling at the absurdity of those
writers who declare that the lives of this whole class of birds
are rendered miserable by toil and hunger ; their very appear-
ance, according to Buffon, presenting the image of suffering,
anxiety, and indigence.*

When alarmed, the green bittern rises with a hollow gut-
tural scream ; does not fly far, but usually alights on some old
stump, tree, or fence adjoining, and looks about with extended
neck; though, sometimes, this is drawn in so that his head
seems to rest on his breast. As he walks along the fence, or
stands gazing at you with outstretched neck, he has the
frequent habit of jetting the tail. He sometimes flies high,
with doubled neck, and legs extended behind, flapping the
wings smartly, and travelling with great expedition. He
is the least shy of all our herons, and perhaps the most
numerous and generally dispersed, being found far in the
interior, as well as along our salt marshes, and everywhere
about the muddy shores of our millponds, creeks, and large
rivers.

The green bittern begins to build about the 20th of April,
sometimes in single pairs in swampy woods, often in com-
panies, and not unfrequently in a kind of association with the
qua-birds or night herons. The nest is fixed among the
branches of the trees ; is constructed wholly of small sticks,
lined with finer twigs, and is of considerable size, though
loosely put together. The female lays four eggs, of the com-
mon oblong form, and of a pale light blue colour. The
young do not leave the nest until able to fly; and, for the
first season at least, are destitute of the long pointed plumage
on the back; the lower parts are also lighter, and the white on
the throat broader. During the whole summer, and until late
in autumn, these birds are seen in our meadows and marshes,

* Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux, tome xxii. p. 348.

398 GREEN HERON.

but never remain during winter in any part of the United
States.

The green bittern is eighteen inches long, and twenty-five
inches in extent ; bill black, lighter below, and yellow at the
base ; chin, and narrow streak down the throat, yellowish
white ; neck, dark vinaceous red; back, covered with very
long, tapering, pointed feathers, of a hoary green, shafted with
white, on a dark green ground ; the hind part of the neck is
destitute of plumage, that it may be the more conveniently
drawn in over the breast, but is covered with the long feathers
of the throat and sides of the neck, that enclose it behind ;
wings and tail, dark glossy green, tipt and bordered with yel-
lowish white ; legs and feet, yellow, tinged before with green,
the skin of these thick and movable ; belly, ashy brown ; irides,
bright orange ; crested head, very dark glossy green. 'The
female, as I have particularly observed in numerous instances,
differs in nothing as to colour from the male; neither of
them receive the long feathers on the back during the first
season.

There is one circumstance attending this bird which, I re-
collect, at first surprised me. On shooting and wounding one,
I carried it some distance by the legs, which were at first
yellow ; but on reaching home, I perceived, to my surprise,
that they were red. On letting the bird remain some time
undisturbed, they again became yellow, and I then discovered
that the action of the hand had brought a flow of blood into
them, and produced the change of colour. I have remarked
the same in those of the night heron.

NIGHT HERON, OR QUA-BIRD. 399

NIGHT HERON, OR QUA-BIRD. (Ardea nycticoraz.)

PLATE LXI.—Fic. 2; Fic. 3, Youne.

Arct. Zool. No. 356.—Le Bichoreau, Buff. vii. 435, 439, rol. 22; Pl. enl. 758,
759, 999.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 52, No. 13; p. 53, young, called there the
female.— Peale’s Museum, No. 3728; young, No. 3729.

NYCTICORAX GARDENII.*

Ardea nycticorax, Temm. Man. ii. p. 577.—Gardenian Heron, Mont. Orn. Dict. i.—
Bonap. Synop. p. 306.—Wagl. Syst. Av. Ardea, No. 31.

Tuis species, though common to both continents, and known
in Kurope for many centuries, has been so erroneously de-
scribed by all the European naturalists whose works I have
examined, as to require more than common notice in this
place. For this purpose, an accurate figure of the male is
given, and also another of what has till now been universally
considered the female, with a detail of so much of their history
as I am personally acquainted with.

* WNycticorax, or night raven, has been adopted to designate this from
among the Ardeade, from the circumstance of their feeding by night, and
remaining in a state of comparative rest and inactivity during the day.
New Holland and Africa each possess a species. Europe and North
America have one in common to both countries ; in the former, abun-
dantly distributed, while, in the latter, it is of rare occurrence even
towards the south, and in the northern parts of Great Britain, only a
few instances have occurred of its capture.

In form, they are intermediate between the bitterns and true herons ;
the bill is short, and stronger in proportion than in either; the feathers
on the sides of the neck are lengthened, and cover the hinder part, which
is bare to a certain extent ; and in all the species, the hind head is
adorned with (generally three) narrow feathers, in the form of a crest.
They feed by twilight, or in clear nights; and take their prey by
watching, in the manner of the herons. They are gregarious, build on
trees, and during the season of incubation are noisy and restless.

The colours in the adults of the true species are ash grey or pale fawn ;
the crown and hind head and the back, or that part called by the French
manteau, in the ash grey species, dark glossy green ; in the fawn coloured,
deep chestnut. The young are always of a duskier tinge, and have the
centre and tips of each feather white, giving the plumage a spotted
appearance.— Ep.

400 NIGHT HERON, OR QUA-RIRD.

The night heron arrives in Pennsylvania early in April, and
immediately takes possession of his former breeding place,
which is usually the most solitary and deeply shaded part of a
cedar swamp. Groves of swamp oak, in retired and inundated
places, are also sometimes chosen, and the males not un-
frequently select tall woods, on the banks of the river, to roost
in during the day. These last regularly direct their course,
about the beginning of evening twilight, towards the marshes,
uttering, in a hoarse and hollow tone, the sound gua, which
by some has been compared to that produced by the retchings
of a person attempting to vomit. At this hour, also, all the
nurseries in the swamps are emptied of their inhabitants, who
disperse about the marshes, and along the ditches and river
shore, in quest of food, Some of these breeding places have
been occupied every spring and summer for time immemorial,
by from eighty to one hundred pairs of qua-birds. In places
where the cedars have been cut down for sale, the birds
have merely removed to another quarter of the swamp; but
when personally attacked, long teased, and plundered, they
have been known to remove from an ancient breeding place
in a body, no one knew where. Such was the case with one
on the Delaware, near Thompson’s Point, ten or twelve miles
below Philadelphia, which having been repeatedly attacked
and plundered by a body of crows, after many severe rencoun-
ters the herons finally abandoned the place. Several of these
breeding places occur among the red cedars on the sea-beach
of Cape May, intermixed with those of the little egret, green
bittern, and blue heron. The nests are built entirely of sticks,
in considerable quantities, with frequently three and four
nests on the same tree. The eggs are generally four in
number, measuring two inches and a quarter in length, by one
and three-quarters in thickness, and of a very pale light blue
colour. The ground or marsh below is bespattered with their
excrements, lying all around like whitewash, with feathers,
broken eggshells, old nests, and frequently small fish, which
they have dropt by accident, and neglected to pick up.

NIGHT HERON, OR QUA-BIRD. 401

On entering the swamp in the neighbourhood of one of these
breeding places, the noise of the old and the young would
almost induce one to suppose that two or three hundred Indians
were choking or throttling each other. The instant an intruder
is discovered, the whole rise in the air in silence, and remove
to the tops of the trees in another part of the woods, while
parties of from eight to ten make occasional circuits over the
spot to see what is going on. When the young are able, they
climb to the highest part of the trees ; but knowing their in-
ability, do not attempt to fly. Though it is probable that these
nocturnal birds do not see well during the day, yet their faculty
of hearing must be exquisite, as it is almost impossible, with
all the precautions one can use, to penetrate near their resi-
dence without being discovered. Several species of hawks
hover around, making an occasional sweep among the young;
and the bald eagle himself has been seen reconnoitring near
the spot, probably with the same design.

Contrary to the generally received opinion, the males and
females of these birds are so alike in colour as scarcely to be
distinguished from each other ; both have also the long slender
plumes that flow from the head. ‘These facts I have exhibited
by dissection on several subjects to different literary gentlemen
of my acquaintance, particularly to my venerable friend Mr
William Bartram, to whom I have also often shown the young,
represented at fig. 3. One of these last, which was kept for
some time in the botanic garden of that gentleman, by its
voice instantly betrayed its origin, to the satisfaction of all
who examined it. These young certainly receive their full
coloured plumage before the succeeding spring, as, on their
first arrival, no birds are to be seen in the dress of fig. 3 ;
but, soon after they have bred, these become more numerous
than the others. Early in October they migrate to the south.
According to Buffon, these birds also inhabit Cayenne, and
are found widely dispersed over Hurope, Asia, and America.
The European species, however, is certainly much smaller than

the American, though in other respects corresponding exactly
VOL, II. 2C

402 NIGHT HERON, OR QUA-BIRD.

to it. Among a great number which I examined with atten-
tion, the following description was carefully taken from a
common-sized full-grown male :—

Length of the night heron, two feet four inches; extent,
four feet; bill, black, four inches and a quarter long from the
corners of the mouth to the tip; lores, or space between the
eye and bill, a bare bluish white skin ; eyelids also large and
bare, of a deep purple blue; eye, three-quarters of an inch
in diameter; the iris of a brilliant blood red; pupil, black ;
crested crown, and hind head deep dark blue, glossed with
ereen ; front and line over the eye, white; from the hind
head proceed three very narrow, white, tapering feathers,
between eight and nine inches in length; the vanes of these
are concave below, the upper one enclosing the next, and that
again the lower; though separated by the hand, if the plumage
be again shook several times, these long flowing plumes
eradually enclose each other, appearing as one; these the
bird has the habit of erecting when angry or alarmed; the
cheeks, neck, and whole lower parts, are white, tinctured with
yellowish cream, and under the wings with very pale ash;
back and scapulars, of the same deep dark blue, glossed with
green, as that of the crown; rump and tail-coverts, as well
as the whole wings and tail, very pale ash ; legs and feet, a pale
yellow cream colour ; inside of the middle claw, serrated.

The female differed in nothing as to plumage from the male,
but in the wings being of rather a deeper ash, having not
only the dark deep green blue crown and back, but also the
long pendant white plumes from the hind head. Hach of the
females contained a large cluster of eggs of various sizes.

The young (fig. 3) was shot soon after it had left the
nest, and differed very little from those which had been taken
from the trees, except in being somewhat larger. This mea-
sured twenty-one inches in length, and three feet in extent ;
the general colour above, a very deep brown, streaked with
reddish white, the spots of white on the back and wings being
triangular, from the centre of the feather to the tip; quills,

GREAT WHITE HERON. 403

deep dusky, marked on the tips with a spot of white; eye,
vivid orange ; belly, white, streaked with dusky, the feathers
being pale dusky, streaked down their centres with white; legs
and feet, light green ; inside of the middle claw slightly pecti-
nated ; body and wings exceedingly thin and limber ; the down
still stuck in slight tufts to the tips of some of the feathers.
The birds also breed in great numbers in the neighbourhood
of New Orleans ; for being in that city in the month of June,
I frequently observed the Indians sitting in market with the
dead and living young birds for sale ; also numbers of eray
owls (Strix nebulosa), and the white ibis (Tantalus albus), for
which nice dainties I observed they generally found purchasers.
The food of the night heron or qua-bird is chiefly composed
of small fish, which it takes by night. Those that I opened
had a large expansion of the gullet immediately under the
bill, that narrowed from thence to the stomach, which is a
large oblong pouch, and was filled with fish. The teeth of the
pectinated claw were thirty-five or forty in number, and as they
contained particles of the down of the bird, showed evidently,
from this circumstance, that they act the part of a comb, to
rid the bird of vermin in those part which it cannot reach with

- its bill.

GREAT WHITE HERON. (Ardea egretta.)
PLATE LXI.—Fic. 4.

EGRETTA LEUCE.—JaARrvDIneE. *

Ardea leuce, Lllig.—Ardea alba, Bonap. Synop. p. 304.—Ardea egretta, Wagl.
Syst. Av. No. 7.—Bonap. Monog. del Gruppo Egretta, Osserv. Sulla, 2d edit.
Del Reg. Anim. Cuv.

Tuis tall and elegant bird, though often seen during the
summer in our low marshes and inundated meadows, yet, on

* Among no birds has there occurred so much confusion as among the
white herons, or those more particularly forming the division Kgretts,
They are distributed over every country of the world, are not very
different in size, the young are chiefly distinguished by the want of the
crest, and are in many instances of a plumage similar to the full

404. GREAT WHITE HERON.

account of its extreme vigilance and watchful timidity, is
very difficult to be procured. Its principal residence is in the
regions of the south, being found from Guiana, and probably
beyond the line, to New York. It enters the territories of
the United States late in February; this I conjecture from
having first met with it in the southern parts of Georgia about
that time. The high inland parts of the country it rarely or
never visits ;—its favourite haunts are vast inundated swamps,
rice-fields, the low marshy shores of rivers, and such like
places, where, from its size and colour, it is very conspicuous,
even at a great distance.

The appearance of this bird during the first season, when
it is entirely destitute of the long flowing plumes of the back,
is so different from the same bird in its perfect plumage, which
it obtains in the third year, that naturalists and others very
generally consider them as two distinct species. The oppor-
tunities which I have fortunately had of observing them with
the train in various stages of its progress, from its first appear-
ance to its full growth, satisfies me that the great white heron
with, and that without, the long plumes, are one and the
same species, in different periods of age. In the museum of
my friend, Mr Peale, there is a specimen of this bird in

winter dress : most of the species when mature are clothed in a garb of
the purest white.

The bird with which our present species is more immediately con-
nected is the Ardea alba, Gmel., a European bird, confounded with the
young of A. egretta, and not yet, I believe, found in North America.
The chief differences are presence of the crest, and much longer pro-
portion of the legs. A. egretta seems to range extensively over the
continents of America and some of the islands ; I am not aware of its
being found elsewhere ; and the African, Asiatic, and New Holland
allied species will, I suspect, turn out distinct, and most probably
belong to their respective countries.

To the North American egretta must be added the Ardea Pealit,
discovered by Bonaparte. It is distinguished from its allies by the
flesh colour of the bill, is much smaller than A. aléa, differs from A.
garzetta by its large compound crest, and from A. candissima by the
quality and texture of the ornamental feathers.—Eb.

GREAT WHITE HERON. 405

which the train is wanting ; but on a closer examination, its
rudiments are plainly to be perceived, extending several inches
beyond the common plumage.

The great white heron breeds in several of the extensive
cedar swamps in the lower parts of New Jersey. Their nests
are built on the trees, in societies ; the structure and materials
exactly similar to those of the snowy heron, but larger. The
egos are usually four, of a pale blue colour. In the months
of July and August, the young make their first appearance
in the meadows and marshes, in parties of twenty or thirty
together. The large ditches with which the extensive
meadows below Philadelphia are intersected are regularly,
about that season, visited by flocks of those birds; these are
frequently shot, but the old ones are too sagacious to be easily
approached. ‘Their food consists of frogs, lizards, small fish,
insects, seeds of the splatterdock (a species of nympho), and
small water-snakes. ‘They will also devour mice and moles,
the remains of such having been at different times found in
their stomachs.

The long plumes of these birds have at various periods been
in great request on the continent of Europe, particularly in
France and Italy, for the purpose of ornamenting the female
head-dress. When dyed of various colours, and tastefully
fashioned, they form a light and elegant duster and mosquito
brush. The Indians prize them for ornamenting their hair
or top-knot ; and I have occasionally observed these people
wandering through the market-place of New Orleans, with
bunches of those feathers for sale.

The great white heron measures five feet from the extremi-
ties of the wings, and three feet six inches from the tip of the
bill to the end of the tail; the train extends seven or eight
inches farther. ‘This train is composed of a great number of
long, thick, tapering shafts, arising from the lower part of the .
shoulders, and thinly furnished on each side with fine flowing
hairlike threads, of several inches in length, covering the
lower part of the back, and falling gracefully over the tail,

406 VIRGINIAN RAIL.

which it entirely conceals. The whole plumage is of a snowy
whiteness, except the train, which is slightly tinged with
yellow. The bill is nearly six inches in length, of a rich
orange yellow, tipt with black; irides, a paler orange; pupil,
small, giving the bird a sharp and piercing aspect; the legs
are long, stout, and of a black colour, as is the bare space of
four inches above the knee; the span of the foot measures
upwards of six inches ; the inner edge of the middle claw is
pectinated ; the exterior and middle toes are united at the
base, for about half an inch, by a membrane.

The articulations of the vertebrae are remarkably long ; the
intestines measure upwards of eight feet, and are very narrow.
The male and female are alike in plumage; both, when of
full age, having the train equally long.

VIRGINIAN RAIL. (Rallus Virginianus.)

PLATE LXII.—Fie. 1.

Arct. Zool. No. 408.—Edw. 279.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 208, No. 1, var. a.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 4426.

RALLUS VIRGINIANUS.—Linnzvs.*
Rallus Virginianus, Bonap. Synop. p. 334.

THis species very much resembles the European water-rail
(Rallus aquaticus), but is smaller, and has none of the slate or

* In my note upon the genus Crer, I mentioned the distinctions
existing between that genus, Gallinula, and Rallus. The Virginian
rail and that following show good examples of the latter form. In
their habits they closely agree with the aquatic species of Orex, are
distributed over all countries of the world, and in general perform
partial migrations.

When pursued or roaded by a dog, they may be raised once, but the
second time will be a task of more difficulty ; if the ground is an ex-
tensive meadow, they may be followed for an hour without success, but
if there are holes or ditches they will generally seek for one of these,
where they conceal themselves beneath some sod, or brow, or thicket of
bushes, and may then be easily taken by the hand. I have frequently
taken our common water-rail in this manner, and sometimes with the

SOUTH MN ANQ pouvsbug

JetbT YNT FE

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poy wpa. YT]

VIRGINIAN RAIL. 407

lead colour on the breast which marks that of the old con-
tinent; its toes are also more than proportionably shorter,
which, with a few other peculiarities, distinguish the species.
It is far less numerous in this part of the United States than
our common rail, and, as I apprehend, inhabits more remote
northern regions. It is frequently seen along the borders of
our salt marshes, which the other rarely visits ; and also breeds
there, as well as among the meadows that border our large
rivers. It spreads over the interior as far west as the Ohio,
having myself shot it in the barrens of Kentucky early in May.
The people there observe them in wet places in the groves
only in spring. It feeds less on vegetable, and more on
animal food, than the common rail. During the months of
September and October, when the reeds and wild oats swarm
with the latter species, feeding on their nutritious seeds, a
few of the present kind are occasionally found; but not one
for five hundred of the others. The food of the present
species consists of small snail-shells, worms, and the larvee of
insects, which it extracts from the mud; hence the cause of
its greater leneth of bill, to enable it the more readily to reach
its food. On this account, also, its flesh is much inferior to
that of the other. In most of its habits, its thin compressed
form of body, its aversion to take wing, and the dexterity

head only concealed. They are easily tamed. The structure of the
feathers on the forehead and crown of the rails is peculiar, and may be
intended as a defence to that part from the friction of the strong grass
and reeds among which they are so constantly running. ‘The rachis of
each feather is lengthened, and broadened into a flat and sharp point,
having the appearance of lengthened scales ; in one or two species, the
feathers consist of the rachis alone, presenting a horny appearance over
the whole forehead. The bastard pinion is furnished with a spur, con-
cealed, however, by the plumage.

The form of the Crakes and Gallinules is well adapted for their
peculiar manner of life, but in this group is most conspicuous. The
legs are placed far behind, the body is long, much flattened, and
remarkably pliable ; and the ease and agility with which they run and
thread through the long vegetation of the marshes is almost incon-
ceivable to a person who has not witnessed it,—Ep.

408 VIRGINIAN RAIL.

with which it runs or conceals itself among the grass and
sedge, are exactly similar to those of the common rail, from
which genus, notwithstanding the difference of its bill, it
ought not to be separated.

This bird is known to some of the inhabitants along the
sea-coast of New Jersey by the name of the fresh-water mud-
hen, this last being the common appellation of the clapper
rail, which the present species resembles in everything but size.
The epithet fresh-water is given it, because of its frequent-
ing those parts of the marsh only where fresh-water springs
rise through the bogs into the salt marshes. In these places it
usually constructs its nest, one of which, through the active
exertions of my friend Mr Ord, while traversing with me the
salt marshes of Cape May, we had the good fortune to dis-
cover. It was built in the bottom of a tuft of grass, in the
midst of an almost impenetrable quagmire, and was composed
altogether of old wet grass and rushes. The eggs had been
floated out of the nest by the extraordinary rise of the tide in
a violent north-east storm, and lay scattered about among the
drift weed. The female, however, still lingered near the spot,
to which she was so attached as to suffer herself to be taken
by hand. She doubtless intended to repair her nest, and
commence laying anew, as, during the few hours that she
was in our possession, she laid one egg, corresponding in all
respects with the others. On examining those floated out of
the nest, they contained young, perfectly formed, but dead. The
usual number of eggs is from six to ten. They are shaped
like those of the domestic hen, measuring one inch and two-
tenths long, by very nearly half an inch in width, and are of a
dirty white or pale cream colour, sprinkled with specks of
reddish and pale purple, most numerous near the great end.
They commence laying early in May, and probably raise two
broods in the season. I suspect this from the circumstance of
Mr Ord having, late in the month of July, brought me several
young ones of only a few days old, which were caught among
the grass near the border of the Delaware. The parent rail

VIRGINIAN RAIL. A409

showed great solicitude for their safety. They were wholly
black, except a white spot on the bill; were covered with a
fine down, and had a soft piping note. In the month of June
of the same year, another pair of these birds began to breed
amidst a bogey spring in one of Mr Bartram’s meadows, but
were unfortunately destroyed.

The Virginian rail is migratory, never wintering in the
northern or middle States. It makes its first appearance in
Pennsylvania early in May, and leaves the country on the
first smart frosts, generally in November. I have no doubt
but many of them linger in the low woods and marshes of the
southern States during winter.

This species is ten inches long, and fourteen inches in ex-
tent; bill, dusky red; cheeks and stripe over the eye, ash ;
over the lores, and at the lower eyelid, white ; iris of the eye,
red ; crown and whole upper parts, black, streaked with brown,
the centre of each feather being black; wing-coverts, hazel
brown, inclining to chestnut; quills, plain deep dusky ; chin,
white; throat, breast, and belly, orange brown; sides and
vent, black, tipt with white; legs and feet, dull red brown ;
edge of the bend of the wing, white.

The female is about half an inch shorter, and differs from
the male in having the breast much paler, not of so bright
a reddish brown; there is also more white on the chin and
throat.

When seen, which is very rarely, these birds stand or run
with the tail erect, which they frequently jerk upwards. They
fly with the legs hanging, generally but a short distance; and

forme)
the moment they alight, run off with great speed.

410 CLAPPER RAIL,

CLAPPER RAIL. (Rallus crepitans.)

PLATE LXII.—Frie. 2.
‘Arct. Zool. No. 407.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 229, No. 2.—Ind. Orn. p. 756, No. 2.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 4400.

RALLUS CREPITANS.—GMELIN.
Rallus crepitans, Bonap. Synop. p. 388.

THIs is a very numerous and well-known species, inhabiting
our whole Atlantic coast from New England to Florida. It
is designated by different names, such as the mud-hen, clapper
rail, meadow clapper, big rail, &c., &. Though occasionally
found along the swampy shores and tide waters of our large
rivers, its principal residence is in the salt marshes. It isa
bird of pasage, arriving on the coast of New Jersey about the
20th of April, and retiring again late in September. I suspect
that many of them winter in the marshes of Georgia and
Florida, having heard them very numerous at the mouth of
Savannah river in the month of February. Coasters and
fishermen often hear them while on their migrations in spring,
generally a little before daybreak. 'Theshores of New Jersey,
within the beach, consisting of an immense extent of flat
marsh, covered with a coarse reedy grass, and occasionally
overflowed by the sea, by which it is also cut up into innumer-
able islands by narrow inlets, seem to be the favourite breed-
ing place for these birds, as they are there acknowledged to be
more than double in number to all other marsh fowl.

The clapper rail, or, as it is generally called, the mud-hen,
soon announces its arrival in the salt marshes by its loud,
harsh, and incessant cackling, which very much resembles
that of a guinea-fowl. This noise is most general during the
night, and is said to be always greatest before astorm. About
the 20th of May, they generally commence laying and building
at the same time ; the first eg¢ being usually dropt in a slight
cavity, lined with a little dry grass pulled for the purpose,

CLAPPER RAIL: 4II

which, as the number of the eggs increase to their usual com-
plement, ten, is gradually added to, until it rises to the height
of twelve inches or more,—doubtless to secure it from the
rising of the tides. Over this the long salt grass is artfully
arched, and knit at top, to conceal it from the view above ;
but this very circumstance enables the experienced egg-hunter
to distinguish the spot at the distance of thirty or forty yards,
though imperceptible to a common eye. The eggs are of a
pale clay colour, sprinkled with small spots of dark red, and
measure somewhat more than an inch and a half in length, by
one inch in breadth, being rather obtuse at the small end.
These eges are exquisite eating, far surpassing those of the
domestic hen. ‘he height of laying is about the Ist of June,
when the people of the neighbourhood go off to the marshes
an egging, as it is called. So abundant are the nests of this
species, and so dexterous some persons at finding them, that
one hundred dozen of eggs have been collected by one man
ina day. At this time, the crows, the minx, and the foxes,
come in for their share ; but, not content with the eggs, these
last often seize and devour the parents also. The bones,
feathers, wings, &c., of the poor mud-hen lie in heaps near the
hole of the minx, by which circumstance, however, he him-
self is often detected and destroyed.

These birds are also subject to another calamity of a more
extensive kind: After the greater part of the eggs are laid,
there sometimes happen violent north-east tempests, that
drive a great sea into the bay, covering the whole marshes ;
so that at such times the rail may be seen in hundreds, float-
ing over the marsh in great distress; many escape to the
mainland, and vast numbers perish. On an occasion of this
kind, I have seen, at one view, thousands in a single meadow,
walking about exposed and bewildered, while the dead bodies
of the females, who had perished on or near their nests, were
strewed along the shore. ‘This last circumstance proves how
strong the ties of maternal affection is in these birds ; for, of
the great numbers which I picked up and opened, not one
male was to be found among them—all were females! Such

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412 (CLL AUZTAIGIR, TRAVEL.

as had not yet begun to sit probably escaped. These disasters
do not prevent the survivors from recommencing the work of
laying and building anew ; and instances have occurred where
their eges have been twice destroyed by the sea, and yet in
two weeks the eggs and nests seemed as numerous as ever.

The young of the clapper rail very much resemble those of
the Virginian rail, except in being larger. On the 10th of
August, [ examined one of these young clapper rails, caught
among the reeds in the Delaware, and apparently about three
weeks old ; it was covered with black down, with the excep-
tion of a spot of white on the auriculars, and a streak of the
same along the side of the breast, belly, and fore part of the
thigh ; the legs were of a blackish slate colour, and the bill
was marked with a spot of white near the point, and round
the nostril. These run with great facility among the grass
and reeds, and are taken with extreme difficulty.

The whole defence of this species seems to be in the nervous
vigour of its limbs and thin compressed form of its body, by
which it is enabled to pass between the stalks of grass and
reeds with great rapidity. There are also everywhere among
the salt marshes covered ways, under the flat and matted
erass, through which the rail makes its way like a rat, without
a possibility of being seen, There is generally one or more
of these from its nest to the water-edge, by which if may
escape unseen ; and sometimes, if closely pressed, it will dive
to the other side of the pond, gut, or inlet, rising and dis-
appearing again with the silence and celerity of thought. In
smooth water it swims tolerably well, but not fast; sitting
high in the water, with its neck erect, and striking with great
rapidity. When on shore, it runs with the neck extended,
the tail erect, and frequently flirted up. On fair ground, they
run nearly as fast asa man; having myself, with great diffi-
culty, caught some that were wing-broken. They have also
the faculty of remaining under water for several minutes,
clinging close, head downwards, by the roots of the grass. In
a long stretch, they fly with great velocity, very much in the
manner of a duck, with extended neck, and generally low;

CLAPPER RAIL. 413

but such is their aversion to take wing, that you may traverse
the marshes where there are hundreds of these birds without
seeing one of them; nor will they flush until they have led
the dog through numerous labyrinths, and he is on the very
point of seizing them.

The food of the clapper rail consists of small shellfish, par-
ticularly those of the snail form, so abundant in the marshes ;
they also eat small crabs. Their flesh is dry, tastes sedgy,
and will bear no comparison with that of the common rail.
Early in October they move off to the south; and though,
even in winter, a solitary instance of one may sometimes be
seen, yet these are generally such as have been weak or
wounded, and unable to perform the journey.

The clapper rail measures fourteen inches in length, and
eighteen in extent; the bill is two inches and a quarter long,
slightly bent, pointed, grooved, and of a reddish brown colour ;
iris of the eye, dark red; nostril, oblong, pervious; crown,
neck, and back, black, streaked with dingy brown; chin and
line over the eye, brownish white; auriculars, dusky ; neck
before, and whole breast, of the same red brown as that of the
preceding species ; wing-coverts, dark chestnut ; quill-feathers,
plain dusky ; legs, reddish brown; flanks and vent, black, tipt
or barred with white. The males and females are nearly alike.

The young birds of the first year have the upper parts of
an olive brown, streaked with pale slate; wings, pale brown
olive; chin and part of the throat, white ; breast, ash colour,
tinged with brown; legs and feet, a pale horn colour. Mr
Pennant, and several other naturalists, appear to have taken
their descriptions from these imperfect specimens, the clapper
rail being altogether unknown in Kurope.

J have never met with any of these birds in the interior at
a distance from lakes or rivers. I have also made diligent
inquiry for them along the shores of Lakes Champlain and
Ontario, but without success.*

* Mr Ord “had an opportunity of verifying the conjecture of the

author as to the winter retreat of these birds, he having found them to
be extremely numerous in the marshes of the coast of Georgia in the

414 BLUE CRANE.

BLUE CRANE. (Ardea coerulea.)
PLATE LXII.—Fre. 3.

Arct. Zool. No. 351.—Catesby, i. 76.—Le Crabier Bleu, Buff. vii. 398.— Sloan
Jam, ii. 315.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 78, No. 45; p. 79, var. A.—A. czerulescens,
Turt. Syst. p. 379.—Planch. Enl. 349.—Peale’s Museum, No. 6782.

EGRETTA CHRULEA.—JARDINE.

Ardea cerulea, Linn. Syst.—Bonap. Synop. p. 300.— Ardea cerulescens,
Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 15.

In mentioning this species in his translation of the “ Systema
Nature,” Turton has introduced what he calls two varieties,
one from New Zealand, the other from Brazil ; both of which,
if we may judge by their size and colour, appear to be entirely
different and distinct species ; the first being green with yel-
low legs, the last nearly one half less than the present.* By
this loose mode of discrimination, the precision of science
being altogether dispensed with, the whole tribe of cranes,
herons, and bitterns may be styled mere varieties of the genus

month of January. In such multitudes were they along the borders
of the streams or passages which separate the sea-islands from the main,
that their loud and incessant noise became quite as disgusting as the
monotonous cackle of that intolerable nuisance the guinea-fowl.”—Ord’s
Edit.

*]T have never traced this species in any Australian collection, and
have little doubt that the authors of the assertion “ that it is found there,”
will turn out incorrect. This bird has all the characters of Hgretta ex-
cept the colour, and will certainly belong to that division, though it has
been generally restricted to those of pure plumage. Bonaparte, in his
‘‘ Nomenclature of Wilson,” says, “the young birds of the year, before
their first moult, are altogether pure white, and are therefore apt to be
confounded with the young of A. candidissima.” Wagler in his excellent
“Systema” confirms this, and mentions that, in their further change, the
upper parts are pale cimereous tinged with purple, beneath white, the
quills partly black partly white, the tail cinereous. It is curious that in
a species clothed with such rich and dark plumage the young should be
pure white, the colour of the true Lgretta, while in some of those of
snowy covering, the young are a dusky greyish brown. If it can be mis-
taken in any state for Egretta candidissima, it will at once show where
it ought to be placed.—Ep.

BLUE CRANE. 41s

Ardea. The same writer has still further increased this con-
fusion by designating as a different species his bluish heron
(A. ccerulescens), which agrees almost exactly with the pre-
sent. Some of these mistakes may probably have originated
from the figure of this bird given by Catesby, which appears to
have been drawn and coloured, not from nature, but from the
glimmering recollections of memory, and is extremely erro-
neous. ‘These remarks are due to truth, and necessary to the
elucidation of the history of this species, which seems to be
but imperfectly known in Europe.

The blue heron is properly a native of the warmer climates
of the United States, migrating from thence at the approach
of winter to the tropical regions, being found in Cayenne,
Jamaica,and Mexico. On the muddy shores of the Mississippi,
from Baton Rouge downwards to New Orleans, these birds
are frequently met with. In spring they extend their migra-
tions as far north as New England, chiefly in the vicinity of
the sea, becoming more rare as they advance to the north.
On the sea-beach of Cape May, I found a few of them breeding
among the cedars, in company with the snowy heron, night
heron, and green bittern. The figure and description of the
present was taken from two of these, shot in the month of
May, while in complete plumage. Their nests were composed
of small sticks, built in the tops of the red cedars, and contained
five eggs, of a light blue colour, and of somewhat a deeper
tint than those of the night heron. Little or no difference
could be perceived between the colours and markings of the
male and female. This remark is applicable to almost the
whole genus; though, from the circumstance of many of the
yearling birds differing in plumage, they have been mistaken
for females.

The blue heron, though in the northern States it be found
chiefly in the neighbourhood of the ocean, probably on account
of the greater temperature of the climate, is yet particularly
fond of fresh-water bogs, on the edges of the salt marsh.
These it often frequents, wading about in search of tadpoles,

AI6 BLUE CRANE.

lizards, various larvee of winged insects, and mud worms.
It moves actively about in search of these, sometimes making
a run at its prey; and is often seen in company with the
snowy heron, figured in the same plate. Like this last, it is
also very silent, intent, and watchful.

The genus Ardea is the most numerous of all the wading
tribes, there being no less than ninety-six different species
enumerated by late writers. These are again subdivided into
particular families, each distinguished by a certain peculiarity.
The cranes, by having the head bald ; the storks, with the
orbits naked ; and the herons, with the middle claw pectinated.
To this last belong the bitterns. Several of these are noctur-
nal birds, feeding only as the evening twilight commences,
and reposing either among the long grass and reeds, or on
tall trees, in sequestered places, during the day. What is
very remarkable, these night wanderers often associate, during
the breeding season, with the others, building their nests on
the branches of the same tree; and, though differing so little
in external form, feeding on nearly the same food, living and
lodging in the same place, yet preserve their race, language,
and manners, as perfectly distinct from those of their neigh-
bours as if each inhabited a separate quarter of the globe.

The blue heron is twenty-three inches in length, and three
feet in extent; the bill is black, but from the nostril to the
eye, in both mandibles, is of a rich light purplish blue; iris
of the eye, gray ; pupil, black, surrounded by a narrow silvery
ring ; eyelid, light blue; the whole head and greater part of
the neck is of a deep purplish brown ; from the crested hind
head shoot three narrow pointed feathers that reach nearly
six inches beyond the eye ; lower part of the neck, breast, belly,
and whole body, a deep slate colour, with lighter reflections ;
the back is covered with long, flat, and narrow feathers,
some of which are ten inches long, and extend four inches be-
yond the tail; the breast isalso ornamented with a number of
these long slender feathers; legs, blackish green; inner side of
the middle claw pectinated. The breast and sides of the rump,

SNOWY HERON. 417

under the plumage, are clothed with a mass of yellowish
white unelastic cottony down, similar to that in most of the
tribe, the uses of which are not altogether understood. Male
and female alike in colour.

The young birds of the first year are destitute of the purple
plumage on the head and neck.

SNOWY HERON. (Ardea candidissima.)
PLATE LXIL.—Fte. 4.

Lath. Sup. i. p. 230.—No. 38748.
EGRETTA CANDIDISSIM A.—BONAPARTE.*

Ardea candidissima, Bonap. Synop. p. 305.—Monog. del Gruppo Egretta. Osserv.
Sulla, 2d edit. Del Reg. Anim. Cuv. p. 101.—Wagl. Syst. Av. i. No. 11.

Tuts elegant species inhabits the sea-coast of North America
from the Isthmus of Darien to the Gulf of St Lawrence, and
is, in the United States, a bird of passage, arriving from the
south early in April, and leaving the middle States again in
October. Its general appearance, resembling so much that
of the little egret of Europe, has, I doubt not, imposed on
some of the naturalists of that country, as I confess it did on

* This species has, like the others, been also confounded with a near
ally. Wagler has unravelled the confusion in his “Systema,” and the
Prince of Musignano in his Monograph on this group, as quoted above.
To make the matter still clearer, I transcribe the Prince’s observations
on the “ Nomenclature of Wilson.” ‘Two closely allied species of small
white-crested herons have much puzzled naturalists, who seem to have
rivalled each other in confounding them, some by considering them as
identical, others by making several nominal species, thus rendering their
synonymy almost inextricable. Thespecies are the A. garzetta of Europe
and the subject of the present remarks. The latter does not inhabit
Europe, but is said to be found in Asia (which we are inclined to doubt)
as frequently as on this continent, where it is widely extended. Wilson
is free from all the above-mentioned errors, having, as usual, admirably
established the species. He was, moreover, judicious in his selection of
the English and Latin names; and it was, doubtless, after a careful in-
vestigation, that he selected the name of candidissima, which Mr Ord
has changed to A. Carolinensis.”—Ep,

VOL, II, 2D

418 SNOWY HERON.

me.* From a more careful comparison, however, of both

birds, I am satisfied that they are two entirely different and
distinct species. ‘These differences consist in the large flowing
crest, yellow feet, and singularly curled plumes of the back of
the present; it is also nearly double the size of the European
species.

The snowy heron seems particularly fond of the salt marshes
during summer, seldom penetrating far inland. Its white
plumage renders it a very conspicuous object, either while on
wing or while wading the meadows or marshes. Its food con-
sists of those small crabs usually called fiddlers, mud worms,
snails, frogs, and lizards. It also feeds on the seeds of some
species of nymphce, and of several other aquatic plants.

On the 19th of May I visited an extensive breeding place
of the snowy heron among the red cedars of Summers's Beach,
on the coast of Cape May. The situation was very seques-
tered, bounded on the Jand side by a fresh-water marsh or
pond, and sheltered from the Atlantic by ranges of sandhills.
The cedars, though not high, were so closely crowded together
as to render it difficult to penetrate through among them.
Some trees contained three, others four nests, built wholly of
sticks. Each had in it three eges, of a pale greenish blue
colour, and measuring an inch and three-quarters in length,
by an inch and a quarter in thickness. Forty or fifty of these
egos were cooked, and found to be well tasted ; the white was
of a bluish tint, and almost transparent, though boiled for a
considerable time; the yolk very small in quantity. The birds
rose in vast numbers, but without clamour, alighting on the
tops of the trees around, and watching the result in silent
anxiety. Among them were numbers of the night heron, and
two or three purple-headed herons. Great quantities of egg-
shells lay scattered under the trees, occasioned by the depre-
dations of the crows, who were continually hovering about the
place. In one of the nests J found the dead body of the bird

* “On the American continent the little egret is met with at New
York and Long Island.”—Latham, vol. iii. p. 90.

SNOWY HERON. 419

itself, half devoured by the hawks, crows, or gulls. She had
probably perished in defence of her eggs.

The snowy heron is seen at all times during summer among
the salt marshes, watching and searching for food, or passing,
sometimes in flocks, from one part of the bay to the other.
They often make excursions up the rivers and inlets, but re-
turn recularly in the evening to the red cedars on the beach
to roost. Ifound these birds on the Mississippi early in June,
as far up as Fort Adams, roaming about among the creeks
and inundated woods. ©

The length of this species is two feet one inch; extent, three
feet two inches; the bill is four inches and a quarter long,
and grooved; the space from the nostril to the eye, orange
yellow, the rest of the bill black; irides, vivid orange; the
whole plumage is of a snowy whiteness; the head is largely
crested with loose unwebbed feathers, nearly four inches in
length; another tuft of the same covers the breast; but the
most distinguished ornament of this bird is a bunch of long
silky plumes, proceeding from the shoulders, covering the
whole back, and extending beyond the tail; the shafts of these
are six or seven inches long, extremely elastic, tapering to the
extremities, and thinly set with long, slender, bending threads
or fibres, easily agitated by the slightest motion of the air;
these shafts curl upwards at the ends. When the bird is irri-
tated, and erects those airy plumes, they have a very elegant
appearance: the legs and naked part of the thighs are black ;
the feet, bright yellow ; claws, black, the middle one pectinated.

The female can scarcely be distinguished by her plumage,
having not only the crest, but all the ornaments of the male,
though not quite so long and flowing.

The young birds of the first season are entirely destitute of
the long plumes of the breast and back ; but as all those that
have been examined in spring are found crested and orna-
mented as above, they doubtless receive their full dress on the
first moulting. Those shot in October measured twenty-two
inches in length by thirty-four in extent; the crest was begin-

420 ROSEATE SPOONBILL.

ning toform; the legs, yellowish green daubed with black; the
feet, greenish yellow; the lower mandible, white at the base ;
the wings, when shut, nearly of a length with the tail, which
is even at the end.

The little egret, or European species, is said by Latham
and Turton to be nearly a foot in length. Bewick observes,
that it rarely exceeds a foot and a half; has a much shorter
crest, with two long feathers; the feet are black; and the
long plumage of the back, instead of turning up at the extre-
mity, falls over the rump.

The young of both these birds are generally very fat, and
esteemed by some people as excellent eating.

ROSEATE SPOONBILL. (Platalea ajaja.)

PLATE LXIII.—Fie. 1.

Arct. Zool. No. 338.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 16, No. 2.—La Spatule Coleur de Rose,
Briss. Orn. v. p. 3562, pl. 30.—Buff. vii. 456, pl. col. 116.—Pedle’s Museum,
No. 3553,

PLATALEA AJAJA.—IiINNEUvS.*
Platalea ajaja, Bonap. Synop. p. 346.

Tris stately and elegant bird inhabits the sea-shores of
America from Brazil to Georgia. It also appears to wander
up the Mississippi sometimes in summer, the specimen from
which the figure in the plate was drawn having been sent me

* This group, remarkable for the curious development of the bill, joins
a number of characters in common with the herons and tantali, They
live during the breeding season in communities, and feed in twilight ;
their food is fish and aquatic animals, and they are said to search in the
mud with their bills in the manner of ducks, where the soft and closely
nervous substance enables them to detect the smaller insects. To look
at the bill in astuffed or preserved state, it is hard and horny, but when
living it is remarkably tender, and has rather a fleshy and soft look and
feel, The common British species is easily tamed, and, like most of its
nearer allies, eats voraciously ; fish will support them, and even porridge,
with a little raw meat; the gape is very wide, and substances are
swallowed in immediate succession, taken always crosswise, and then
tossed over, The trachea in the male performs a single convolution in

Lriwn trom ature by A. Wilson

Engraved by WH Lizars

Lhosecte Spoonbill. 2 Americar Avoset. 3. luddy Plover. 4.Senpalnated Sandpiper.

ROSEATE SPOONBI/LL. 421

from the neighbourhood of Natchez, in excellent order ; for
which favour I am indebted to the family of my late benevo-
lent and scientific friend William Dunbar, Esq., of that terri-
tory. It is now deposited in Mr Peale’s Museum. This spe-
cies, however, is rarely seen to the northward of the Alatamaha
river, and even along the peninsula of Florida is a scarce bird.
In Jamaica, several other of the West India islands, Mexico,
and Guiana, it is more common, but confines itself chiefly to
the sea-shore and the mouths of rivers. Captain Henderson
says it is frequently seen at Honduras. It wades about in
quest of shellfish, marine insects, small crabs, and fish. In
pursuit of these it occasionally swims and dives.

There are few facts on record relative to this very singular
bird. It is said that the young are of a blackish chestnut the
first year, of the roseate colour of the present the second year,
and of a deep scarlet the third* Having never been so
fortunate as to meet with them in their native wilds, I regret
my present inability to throw any further light on their history
and manners. These, it is probable, may resemble, in many
respects, those of the European species, the white spoonbill,
once so common in Holland.f ‘To atone for this deficiency,
I have endeavoured faithfully to delineate the figure of this
American species, and may, perhaps, resume the subject in
some future part of the present work.

the sternum. The genus contains three or four species ; that of Europe,
found also in India; a species from Africa very near P. ajaja, peculiar
to America; and the Spatule huppée of Sonnerat, which Mons, Tem-
minck thinks distinct. In all, the young do not attain full plumage till
after the first moult,—Ep.

* Latham.

7 The European species breeds on trees by the seaside ; lays three
or four white eggs, powdered with a few pale red spots, and about the
size of those of a hen; are very noisy during breeding time; feed on
fish, mussels, &c., which, like the bald eagle, they frequently take from
other birds, frightening them by clattering their bill: they are also
said to eat grass, weeds, aud roots of reeds: they are migratory ; their
flesh is reported to savour of that ofa goose; the young are reckoned good
food.

422 ROSEATE SPOONBILL.

The roseate spoonbill now before us measured two feet six
inches in length, and near four feet in extent; the bill was
six inches and a half long from the corner of the mouth, seven
from its upper base, two inches over at its greatest width, and
three-quarters of an inch where narrowest ; of a black colour
for half its length, and covered with hard scaly protuberances,
like the edges of oyster-shells; these are of a whitish tint,
stained with red; the nostrils are oblong, and placed in the
centre of the upper mandible ; from the lower end of each there
runs a deep groove along each side of the mandible, and about
a quarter of an inch from its edge; whole crown and chin,
bare of plumage, and covered with a greenish skin ; that below
the under mandible, dilatable like those of the genus Pelicanus ;
spice round the eye, orange; irides, blood red ; cheeks and
hind head, a bare black skin; neck, long, covered with short
white feathers, some of which, on the upper part of the neck,
are tipt with crimson ; breast, white, the sides of which are
tinged with a brown burnt colour; from the upper part of
the breast proceeds a long tuft of fine hairlike plumage, of a
pale rose colour ; back, white, slightly tinged with brownish ;
wings, a pale wild rose colour, the shafts lake ; the shoulders
of the wings are covered with long hairy plumage, of a deep
and splendid carmine ; upper and lower tail-coverts, the same
rich red ; belly, rosy ; rump, paler ; tail, equal at the end, con-
sisting of twelve feathers of a bright brownish orange, the
shafts reddish; legs and naked part of the thighs, dark dirty
red; feet, half webbed ; toes, very long, particularly the hind
one. The upper part of the neck had the plumage partly worn
away, as if occasioned by resting it on the back in the manner
of the ibis. ‘The skin on the crown is a little wrinkled ; the
inside of the wing a much richer red than the outer.

AMERICAN AVOSET. 423

AMERICAN AVOSET. (Recurvirostra Americana.)
PLATE LXIII.—Fice. 26.
Arct. Zool. No. 421.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 295, No. 2.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 4250.
RECURVIROSTRA AMERICAN A,—LINNAUS.*

Avocetté Isabelle, Recurvirostra Americana, Zemm. Man. d’Orn. ii. p. 594.—
Recurvirostra Americana, Bonap. Synop. p. 345.

Tus species, from its perpetual clamour and flippancy of
tongue, is called by the inhabitants of Cape May the lawyer ;
the comparison, however, reaches no further, for our lawyer
is simple, timid, and perfectly inoffensive.

In describing the long-legged avoset of this volume, the simi-
larity between that and the present was taken notice of. This
resemblance extends to everything but their colour. I found
both these birds associated together on the salt marshes of
New Jersey on the 20th of May. They were then breeding.
Individuals of the present species were few in respect to the
other. They flew around the shallow pools exactly in the
manner of the long-legs, uttering the like sharp note of click,
click, click, alighting on the marsh or in the water indiscrimi-
nately, fluttering their loose wings, and shaking their half-bent
legs, as if ready to tumble over, keeping up a continual yelp-
ing note. ‘They were, however, rather more shy, and kept at
a ereater distance. One which I wounded attempted repeat-
edly to dive ; but the water was too shallow to permit him to
do this with facility. The nest was built among the thick
tufts of grass, at a small distance from one of these pools. It
was composed of small twigs of a seaside shrub, dry grass, sea-

* This curious genus contains four known species ; perhaps ere long
another may be made out. They nearly resemble each other, and all
possess the turned-up bill. In their manners they assimilate generally
with the totani, feed like them, and are very clamorous when their nest
is approached. Like them, also, though possessed of partially webbed
feet, they do not swim or take the water freely, except when wading, or
by compulsion.—Ep,

424 AMERICAN AVOSET.

; weed, &c., raised to the height of several inches. The eggs
Hi were four, of a dull olive colour, marked with large irregular
blotches of black, and with others of a fainter tint.

This species arrives on the coast of Cape May late in April;
rears its young, and departs again to the south early in Octo-
ber. While here, it almost constantly frequents the shallow
pools in the salt marshes ; wading about, often to the belly, in
search of food, viz., marine worms, snails, and various insects
that abound among the soft muddy bottoms of the pools.

The male of this species is eighteen inches and a half long,
| and two feet and a half in extent ; the bill is black, four inches
| in length, flat above, the general curvature upwards, except at
the extremity, where it bends shghtly down, ending in an ex-

| tremely fine point; irides, reddish hazel ; whole head, neck,
|| and breast, a light sorrel colour; round the eye, and on the
chin, nearly white; upper part of the back and wings, black ;
scapulars, and almost the whole back, white, though generally
concealed by the black of the upper parts; belly, vent, and
thighs, pure white; tail, equal at the end, white, very slightly
tinged with cinereous; tertials, dusky brown ; greater coverts
tipt with white; secondaries, white on their outer edges and
whole inner vanes; rest of the wing, deep black ; naked part
of the thighs, two and a half inches ; legs, four inches, both of
a very pale light blue, exactly formed, thinned, and netted,
like those of the long-legs ; feet, half webbed ; the outer mem-
brane somewhat the broadest ; there is a very slight hind toe,
which, claw and all, does not exceed a quarter of an inch in
length. In these two latter circumstances alone it differs from
the long-legs, but is in every other strikingly alike.

The female was two inches shorter, and three less in extent;
the head and neck a much paler rufous, fading almost to white
on the breast, and separated from the black of the back by a
broader band of white; the bill was three inches and a half
long ; the leg half an inch shorter; in every other respect
marked as the male. She contained a great number of eggs,
some of them nearly ready for exclusion. The stomach was

RUDDY PLOVER. 425

filled with small snails, periwinkle shellfish, some kind of
mossy vegetable food, and a number of aquatic insects. ‘The
intestines were infested with tape-worms, and a number of
smaller bot-like worms, some of which wallowed in the cavity
of the abdomen.

In Mr Peale’s collection there is one of this same species,
said to have been brought from New Holland, differing little
in the markings of its plumage from ourown. The red brown
on the neck does not descend so far, scarcely occupying any
of the breast ; it is also somewhat less. |

In every stuffed and dried specimen of these birds which I
have examined, the true form and flexure of the bill is alto-
gether deranged, being naturally of a very tender and delicate
substance.*

RUDDY PLOVER. (Charadrius rubidus.)
PLATE LXIII.—Fic. 3.

Arct. Zool. No. 404.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 195, No. 2.—Turt. Syst. p. 415.
CALIDRIS ARENARIA,—IuIGER.

Tringa arenaria, Bonap. Synop. p. 3820.

Tuis bird is frequently found in company with the sanderling,
which, except in colour, it very much resembles. It is gene-
rally seen on the sea-coast of New Jersey in May and October,
on its way to and from its breeding place in the north. It
runs with great activity along the edge of the flowing or
retreating waves on the sands, picking up the small bivalve

* Mr Ord further observes, “It is remarkable that in the Atlantic
States this species invariably affects the neighbourhood of the ocean,
we never having known an instance of its having been seen in the
interior ; and yet Captain Lewis met with this bird at the ponds in the
vicinity of the Falls of the Missouri. That it was our species I had
ocular evidence by a skin brought by Captain Lewis himself, and pre-
sented, among other specimens of natural history, to the Philadelphia
Museum.” See * History of Lewis and Clark’s Expedition,” vol. i. p,
343,

426 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER.

shellfish which supplies so many multitudes of the plover and
sandpiper tribes.

T should not be surprised if the present species turn out
hereafter to be the sanderling itself in a different dress. Of
many scores which I examined, scarce two were alike ; in
some, the plumage of the back was almost plain ; in others, the
black plumage was just shooting out. ‘This was in the month
of October. Naturalists, however, have considered it as a
separate species ; but have given us no further particulars
than that, ‘in Hudson’s Bay it is known by the name of
Mistchaychekiskaweshish,” “a piece of information certainly
very instructive.

The ruddy plover is eight inches long, and fifteen in extent;
the bill is black, an inch long, and straight; sides of the neck
and whole upper parts, speckled largely with white, black, and
ferruginous ; the feathers being centred with black, tipt with
white, and edged with ferruginous, giving the bird a very
motley appearance ; belly and vent, pure white ; wing-quills,
black, crossed with a band of white; lesser coverts, whitish,
centred with pale olive, the first two or three rows black ; two
middle tail-feathers, black; the rest, pale cinereous, edged
with white ; legs and feet, black; toes, bordered with a very
narrow membrane, On dissection, both males and females
varied in their colours and markings.

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. (Tringa semipalmata.)
PLATE LXIII.—Fre. 4.

Peale’s Museum, No. 4025.
TRINGA SEMIPALMATA.—Wiuson.
Tringa semipalmata, Bonap. Synop. p. 316.

Tis is one of the smallest of its tribe, and seems to have
been entirely overlooked, or confounded with another which it

much resembles (Zringa pusilla), and with whom it is often
found associated.
* Latham.

P42

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. 427

Its half-webbed feet, however, are sufficient marks of dis-
tinction between the two. It arrives and departs with the pre-
ceding species; flies in flocks with the stints, purres, and a few
others; and is sometimes seen at a considerable distance from
the sea, on the sandy shores of our fresh-water lakes. On the
23d of September I met with a small flock of these birds in
Burlington Bay, on Lake Champlain. They are numerous
along the sea-shores of New Jersey, but retire to the south on
the approach of cold weather.

This species is six inches long, and twelve in extent ; the
bill is black, an inch long, and very slightly bent ; crown and
body above, dusky brown, the plumage edged with ferruginous,
and tipt with white ; tail and wings, nearly of a length ; sides
of the rump, white ; rump and tail coverts, black ; wing-quills
dusky black, shafted, and banded with white, much in the
manner of the least snipe ; over the eye a line of white ; lesser
coverts, tipt with white ; legs and feet, blackish ash, the latter
half webbed. Males and females alike in colour.

These birds varied greatly in their size, some being scarcely
five inches and a half in length, and the bill not more than
three-quarters ; others measured nearly seven inches in the
whole length, and the bill upwards of an inch. In their general
appearance they greatly resemble the stints or least snipe ;
but unless we allow that the same species may sometimes have
the toes half webbed, and sometimes divided to the origin,—
and this not in one or two solitary instances, but in whole
flocks, which would be extraordinary indeed,—we cannot avoid
classing this as a new and distinct. species,

428 LOUISIANA HERON.

LOUISIANA HERON. (Ardea Ludoviciana.)
PLATE LXIV.—Fic. 1.

Peale’s Museum, No. 3750.
ARDEA LUDOVICIANA.—W1i1s0n.
Ardea leucogaster, Ord’s reprint, part viii. p. 1.—Ardea Ludoviciana,
Bonap. Synop. p. 304.
THIS is a rare and delicately-formed species, occasionally
found on the swampy river shores of South Carolina, but
more frequently along the borders of the Mississippi, parti-
cularly below New Orleans. In each of these places it is
migratory ; and in the latter, as I have been informed, builds

its nest on trees, amidst the inundated woods. IJts manners ~

correspond very much with those of the blue heron. It is
quick in all its motions, darting about after its prey with sur-
prising agility. Small fish, frogs, lizards, tadpoles, and various
aquatic insects, constitute its principal food.

There is a bird described by Latham in his “ General
Synopsis,’ vol. i. p. 88, called the Demz Egret,* which, from
the account there given, seems to approach near to the present
species. It is said to inhabit Cayenne.

Length of the Louisiana heron, from the point of the bill to
the extremity of the tail, twenty-three inches; the long hair-
like plumage of the rump and lower part of the back extends
several inches farther ; the bill is remarkably long, measuring
full five inches, of a yellowish green at the base, black towards
the point, and very sharp; irides, yellow; chin and throat,
white, dotted with ferruginous and some blue ; the rest of the
neck is of a light vinous purple, intermixed on the lower part
next the breast with dark slate-coloured plumage; the whole
feathers of the neck are long, narrow, and pointed; head,
crested, consisting first of a number of long narrow purple
feathers, and under these seven or eight pendant ones, of a
pure white, and twice the length of the former; upper part

* See also Buffon, vol. vii. p. 378.

——

Dran trom Nawure by 4 Wilson

Engraved. by WA

L Louisiana Heron. 2.Pied Oyster-catcher. 5Hoeping Crane. £.Long billed Curlew
64.

“x

PIED OYVSTER-CATCHER., 429

of the back and wings, light slate ; lower part of the back
and rump, white, but concealed by a mass of long unwebbed
hairlike plumage, that falls over the tail and tips of the
wings, extending three inches beyond them ; these plumes are
of a dirty purplish brown at the base, and lighten towards the
extremities to a pale cream colour ; the tail is even at the tip,
rather longer than the wings, and of a fine slate; the legs
and naked thighs, greenish yellow ; middle claw pectinated ;
whole lower parts pure white, Male and female alike in
plumage, both being crested.

PIED OYSTER-CATCHER. (Heematopus ostralegus.)
PLATE LXIV.—Fic. 2.

Arct. Zool. No. 406.—Cutesby, i. 85.—Bewick, ii. 23.—Peale’'s Museum,
No. 4258.

HAMATOPUS PALLIATUS ?—TEMMINCK.*

Hematopus ostralegus, Bonap. Synop. p. 300.—Hzematopus palliatus? Jard. and
Selby, Iilust. Ornith. vol. iii. plate 125.

THIS singular species, although nowhere numerous, inhabits
almost every sea-shore both on the new and old continent,

* The oyster-catchers of Europe and America are said by Temminck
and Bonaparte to be identical. Such also was the opinion of most
ornithologists, and my own, until a closer comparison of American
specimens with British showed a distinction. There is another, how-
ever, with which the American bird may be confounded, and I cannot
decidedly say that it is distinct, the H. palliatus, Temm. I have not
seen that species ; but from the description of the upper parts being
grayish brown, it must either be distinct, or the young state of the
North American bird. My specimens of the latter are of the purest
black and white.

Bonaparte, in his “ Nomenclature,” says the species is common to both
continents ; and mentions that he had specimens before him, from each
country, decidedly alike. From this circumstance I should be inclined
to give two species to North America, as the distinctions between them
are so great as it would be impossible to overlook on an examination
such as he was likely to give.

The following are the distinctive marks of the species in my posses-

430 PIED OVSTER-CATCHER.

but is never found inland. It is the only one of its genus
hitherto discovered, and, from the confirmation of some of its
parts, one might almost be led by fancy to suppose that it
had borrowed the eye of the pheasant, the legs and feet of the
bustard, and the bill of the woodpecker.

The oyster-catcher frequents the sandy sea-beach of New
Jersey and other parts of our Atlantic coast in summer, in
small parties of two or three pairs together. They are ex-
tremely shy, and, except about the season of breeding, will
seldom permit a person to approach within gunshot. They
walk along the shore in a watchful, stately manner, at times

sion :—The bill appears generally to be more slender ; the quills want
the white band running-in a slanting direction across, being in the
American specimen entirely black ; the secondaries in the American,
except the first, are pure white ; in the British specimen, each, except
the three or four last, have a black mark near the tips, which decrease
in size as they proceed. The whole interior surface of the wing is pure
white ; in the other it is black, except where the white secondaries
appear. In the British bird, the tail-coverts and rump are pure white,
the latter running upon the back, until it is hid by the scapulary and
back feathers. In the American, the tail-coverts only are white, form-
ing, as it were, a band of that colour, interrupted by the black tip of
the tail; the whole rump and lower part of the back, black.

If that before us prove distinct, this genus will contain five species,
distributed over the whole world, and allied so closely, that every
member is alike, with a different distribution only of black and white
to distinguish them. They are, the common European bird, perhaps
also American, H. ostralegus ; the black oyster-catcher, H. niger, found
in Australia and Africa; H. palliatus, Temm., South American, and
which may turn out to be the immature state of the species we have
mentioned ; and the Ostralega leucopus of Lesson, found on the Malowine
Isles, and remarkable in having white legs and feet. The species in my
possession may stand as the fifth, under the name of H. arcticus.*

As they are allied in form, so they are in habit. They frequent low

* ‘When this note was written, I had not seen the elaborate review of Cuvier’s
‘*Regne Animale” by the Prince of Musignano. He is aware that the North
American and European species are distinct, and mentions that the more
northern regions produce an additional one. I believe the bird figured by
Wilson, and the skins in my possession, will prove to be this, and may stand as
Ihave named it above. That ornithologist also gives as a principal character to

H. palliatus, that the upper parts are “‘di un color fosco invece di nero,” at
variance with the pure black and white of our specimens.—ED.

PIED OVSTER-CATCHER. 431

probing it with their long wedge-like bills, in search of small
shellfish. This appears evident on examining the hard
sands where they usually resort, which are found thickly per-
forated with oblong holes, two or three inches in depth. The
small crabs called fiddlers, that burrow in the mud, at the
bottom of inlets, are frequently the prey of the oyster-catcher ;
as are mussels, spout-fish, and a variety of other shellfish and
sea-insects with which those shores abound.

The principal food, however, of this bird, according to
European writers, and that from which it derives its name, is
the oyster, which it is said to watch for, and snatch suddenly
from the shells, whenever it surprises them sufficiently open.

sandy beaches, feeding on the shellfish during the recess of the tide,
and resting while it flows. The oyster-catcher of Europe is to be found
on all the sandy British coasts in immense abundance. All those which
I have observed breeding have chosen low rocky coasts, and deposit
their eggs on some shelf or ledge, merely baring the surface from any
moss or other substance covering the rock. When approached, the
parents fly round, uttering with great vehemence their clamorous note.
I have never found them breeding on a sandy beach, though I have
observed these birds for the last ten years, in a situation fitted in every
way for that kind of incubation, and have known them retire regularly
to a distance of about six or seven miles (a more populous quarter),
where they had the advantage of a ledge of insulated rocks bounding
the coast. A great many, both old and young birds—perhaps among
the latter those of a late brood—are always to be found on these coasts,
and enliven the monotony of an extensive sand-beach with their clean
and lively appearance and their shrill notes, As the young begin to
assemble the flocks increase; by the month of August they consist of
many thousands ; and at full tide they may be seen, like an exten-
sive black line, at the distance of miles. They remain at rest until
about half tide, when a general motion is made, and the line may be
seen broken as the different parties advance close to the water’s edge.
After this they keep pace with the reflux, until the feeding banks begin
to be uncovered, of which they seem to have an instinctive knowledge,
when they leave their resting-place in small troops, taking day after day
the same course. They are difficult to approach, but when one is shot,
the flock will hover over it for some time without heeding the intruder.
During flight they assume the wedge shape, like ducks. They feed
at night when the tide is suitable, and are often very noisy. Mussels
and smaller shellfish, crabs, &c., &c., are their most common food.—Eb,

432 PIED OVSTER-CATCHER.

In search of these, it is reported that it often frequents the
oyster-beds, looking out for the slightest opening through
which it may attack its unwary prey. For this purpose the
form of its bill seems very fitly calculated. Yet the truth of
these accounts are doubted by the inhabitants of Ege Harbour
and other parts of our coast, who positively assert that it
never haunts such places, but confines itself almost solely to
the sands; and this opinion I am inclined to believe correct,
having myself uniformly found these birds on the smooth
beach bordering the ocean, and on the higher, dry, and level
sands just beyond the reach of the summer tides. On this
last situation, where the dry flats are thickly interspersed with
drifted shells, I have repeatedly found their nests between
the middle and 25th of May. The nest itself is a slight
hollow in the sand, containing three eggs, somewhat less than
those of a hen, and nearly of the same shape, of a bluish cream
colour, marked with large roundish spots of black, and others
of a fainter tint. In some, the ground cream colour is desti-
tute of the bluish tint, the blotches larger, and of a deep brown.
The young are hatched about the 25th of May, and sometimes
earlier, having myself caught them running along the beach
about that period. They are at first covered with down of
a greyish colour, very much resembling that of the sand, and
marked with a streak of brownish black on the back, rump,
and neck, the breast being dusky, where, in the old ones, it is
black. The bill is at that age slightly bent downwards at the
tip, where, like most other young birds, it has a hard protu-
berance that assists them in breaking the shell; but in a few
days afterwards this falls off* These run along the shore
with great ease and swiftness.

* Latham observes that the young are said to be hatched in about
three weeks ; and though they are wild when in flocks, yet are easily
brought up tame, if taken young. “I have known them,” says he,
“to be thus kept for a long time, frequenting the ponds and ditches
during the day, attending the dncks and other poultry to shelter of

nights, and not unfrequently to come up of themselves as evening
approaches.”—General Synopsis, vol. iii. p. 220.

PIED OVSTER-CATCHER. 433

- The female sits on her eggs only during the night, or in
remarkably cold and rainy weather ; at other times the heat
of the sun and of the sand, which is sometimes great, renders
incubation unnecessary. But although this is the case, she is
not deficient in care or affection. She watches the spot with
an attachment, anxiety, and perseverance that are really sur-
prising, till the time arrives when her little offspring burst
their prisons, and follow the guiding voice of their mother.
When there is appearance of danger, they squat on the sand,
from which they are with difficulty distinguished, while the
parents make large circuits around the intruder, alighting
sometimes on this hand, sometimes on that, uttering repeated
cries, and practising the common affectionate stratagem of
counterfeited lameness, to allure him from their young.

These birds run and fly with great vigour and velocity.
Their note is a loud and shrill whistling wheep-wheep-wheo,
smartly uttered. A flock will often rise, descend, and wheel
in air with remarkable regularity, as if drilled to the business,
the glittering white of their wings at such times being very
conspicuous. They are more remarkable for this on their
first arrival in the spring. Some time ago, I received a
stuffed specimen of the oyster-catcher from a gentleman of
Boston, an experienced sportsman, who, nevertheless, was un-
acquainted with this bird. He informed me that two very
old men to whom it was shown called it a hagdel. He adds,
“Tt was shot from a flock, which was first discovered on the
beach near the entrance of Boston harbour. On the approach
of the gunner, they rose, and instantly formed in line like a
corps of troops, and advanced in perfect order, keeping well
dressed. They made a number of circuits ia the air previous
to being shot at, but wheeled in line ; and the man who fired
into the flock observed that all their evolutions were like a
regularly-organised military company.”

The oyster-catcher will not only take to the water when
wounded, but can also swim and dive well. This fact I can

assert from my own observation, the exploits of one of them
VOL. Il. 25

434 PIED OVSTER-CATCHER.

in this way having nearly cost me my life. On the sea-beach
of Cape May, not far from a deep and rapid inlet, I broke the
wing of one of these birds, and being without a dog, instantly
pursued it towards the inlet, which it made for with great
rapidity. We both plunged in nearly at the same instant ;
but the bird eluded my grasp, and I sunk beyond my depth ;
it was not until this moment that I recollected having carried
in my gun along with me. On rising to the surface, I found

the bird had dived, and a strong ebb current was carrying me -

fast towards the ocean, encumbered with a gun and all my
shooting apparatus. I was compelled to relinquish my bird,
and to make for the shore, with considerable mortification,
and the total destruction of the contents of my powder-horn.
The wounded bird afterwards rose, and swam with great
buoyancy out among the breakers.

On the same day I shot andexamined three individuals of this
species, two of which measured each eighteen inches in length,
and thirty-five inches in extent ; the other was somewhat less.
The bills varied in length, measuring three inches and three-
quarters, three and a half, and three and a quarter, thinly com-
pressed at the point, very much like that of the woodpecker
tribe, but remarkably narrowed near the base where the nos-
trils are placed, probably that it may work with more freedom
in the sand. This instrument, for two-thirds of its length
towards the point, was evidently much worn by digging; its
colour, a rich orange scarlet, somewhat yellowish near the tip ;
eye, large; orbits, of the same bright scarlet as the bill ; irides,
brilliant yellow ; pupil, small, bluish black ; under the eye is a
small spot of white, anda large bed of the same on the wing-
coverts ; head, neck, scapulars, rump, wing-quills, and tail,
black; several of the primaries are marked on the outer vanes
with a slanting band of white ; secondaries, white, part of them
tipt with black ; the whole lower parts of the body, sides of
the rump, tail-coverts, and that portion of the tail which they
cover, are pure white; the wings, when shut, cover the whole
white plumage of the back and rump ; legs, and naked part of

WHOOPING CRANE, 435

the thighs, pale red ; feet, three-toed, the outer joined to the
middle by a broad and strong membrane, and each bordered
with a rough warty edge; the soles of the feet are defended
from the hard sand and shells by a remarkably thick and
callous warty skin.

On opening these birds, the smallest of the three was found
to be a male; the gullet widened into a kind of crop; the
stomach or gizzard contained fragments of shellfish, pieces
of crabs, and of the great king crab, with some dark brown
marine insects. The flesh was remarkably firm and muscular ;
the skull, thick and strong, intended, no doubt, as in the
woodpecker tribe, for the security of the brain from the vio-
lent concussions it might receive while the bird was engaged
in digging. The female and young birds have the back and
scapulars of a sooty brownish olive.

This species is found as far south as Cayenne and Surinam.
Dampier met with it on the coast of New Holland ; the British
circumnavigators also saw it on Van Diemen’s Land, Tierra
del Fuego, and New Zealand.

WHOOPING CRANE. (Ardea Americana.)
PLATE LXIV.—-Fie. 3, MALE.

Arct. Zool. No. 339.—Catesby, i. 75.—Lath. ii. p. 42.—La Grue d’Amerique,
Pl. enl. 889.—Peale’s Museum, No. 5704.

GRUS AMERICAN A.—TEMMINCK.*
Grus Americana, Bonap. Synop. p. 802.—North. Zool. ii. p. 372.

Tuts is the tallest and most stately species of all the feathered
tribes of the United States, the watchful inhabitant of exten-

* This crane has also suffered under the too general confusion of
names, so that it becomes somewhat difficult to determine with pre-
cision that which should by priority be allotted to it. It is an extra
European species, and seems to be the Asiatic bird generally known
under the name of G. gigantea, Pall. Temminck, however, says that
Gmelin changed this name from the original one of G. leucogeranos,
Pall., and has figured and described it as such in the Planches Colorées,

436 WHOOPING CRANE.

sive salt marshes, desolate swamps, and open morasses in
the neighbourhood of the sea. Its migrations are regular, and
of the most extensive kind, reaching from the shores and in-
undated tracts of South America to the arctic circle. In these
immense periodical journeys, they pass at such a prodigious
height in the air as to be seldom observed. They have, how-
ever, their resting stages on the route to and from their usual
breeding places, the regions of the north. A few sometimes
make their appearance in the marshes of Cape May in De-
cember, particularly on and near Ege Island, where they are

It appears to extend over Asia to China, and specimens have been
brought from Japan. Are they all one species ?

America will also possess another majestic crane, Grus Canadensis,
Temm., inhabiting the northern parts, but not commonly found in the
middle States ; it is met with in summer in all parts of the Fur Countries
to the shores of the Arctic Sea.

The birds of this genus were formerly arranged among the herons, to
which they bear a certain alliance, but were, by Pallas, with propriety
separated, and form avery natural division in a great class. They are at
once distinguished from Ardea by the bald head, and the broad, waving
and pendulous form of the greater coverts. Some extend over every
part of the world, but the group is, notwithstanding, limited to only a
few species. They are majestic in appearance, and possess a strong and
powerful flight, performing very long migrations, preparatory to which
they assemble, and, as it were, exercise themselves before starting.
They are social, and feed and migrate in troops. Major Long, speaking
of the migrations of the second American species, G. Canadensis, says,
“They afford one of the most beautiful imstances of animal motion we
can anywhere meet with. They fly at a great height, and wheeling in
circles, appear to rest without effort on the surface of an aerial current,
by whose eddies they are borne about in an endless series of revolutions ;
each individual describes a large circle in the air, independently of his
associates, and uttering loud, distinct, and repeated cries. They con-
tinue thus to wing their flight upwards, gradually receding from the
earth, until they become mere specks upon the sight, and finally alto-
gether disappear, leaving only the ESB FTL music of their concert to
fall faintly on the ear, exploring

‘ Heavens not its own, and worlds unknown before.’”

The Grus Canadensis, or sandhill crane, will be figured and described
by the Prince of Musignano in the remaining volumes of his “ Continua-
tion,” which we hope ere long to receive.—ED.

WHOOPING CRANE. 437

known by the name of storks. The younger birds are easily
distinguished from the rest by the brownness of their plumage.
Some linger in these marshes the whole winter, setting out
north about the time the ice breaks up. During their stay,
they wander along the marshes and muddy flats of the sea-shore
in search of marine worms, sailing occasionally from place to
place with a low and heavy flight, a little above the surface;
and have at such times a very formidable appearance. At
times they utter a loud, clear, and piercing cry, which may be
heard at the distance of two miles. They have also various
modulations of this singular note, from the peculiarity of which
they derive their name. When wounded, they attack the
eunner or his dog with great resolution; and have been
known to drive their sharp and formidable bill, at one stroke,
through a man’s hand.

During winter, they are frequently seen in the low grounds
and rice plantations of the southern States, in search of grain
and insects. On the 10th of February, I met with several]
near the Waccamau river, in South Carolina; I also saw a
flock at the ponds near Louisville, Kentucky, on the 20th of
March. They are extremely shy and vigilant, so that it is
with the greatest difficulty they can be shot. They sometimes
rise in the air spirally to a great height, the mingled noise of
their screaming, even when they are almost beyond the reach
of sight, resembling that of a pack of hounds in full cry. On
these occasions, they fly around in large circles, as if recon-
noitring the country to a vast extent for a fresh quarter to
feed in. Their flesh is said to be well tasted, nowise savour-
ing of fish. They swallow mice, moles, rats, &c., with great
avidity. They build their nests on the ground, in tussocks of
long grass, amidst solitary swamps, raise it to more than a foot
in height, and lay two pale blue eggs, spotted with brown.
These are much larger, and of a more lengthened form, than
those of the common hen.

The cranes are distinguished from the other families of their
genus by the comparative baldness of their heads, the broad

438 WHOOPING CRANE.

flag of plumage projecting over the tail, and in general by
their superior size. They also differ in their internal organi- _
sation from all the rest of the heron tribe, particularly in the |
conformation of the windpipe, which enters the breast-bone in
a cavity fitted to receive it, and after several turns goes out
again at the same place, and thence descends to the lungs.
Unlike the herons, they have not the inner side of the middle
claw pectinated, and, in this species at least, the hind toe is
short, scarcely reaching the ground.

The vast marshy flats of Siberia are inhabited by a crane
very much resembling the present, with the exception of the
bill and legs being red ; like those of the present, the year-old
birds are said also to be tawny.

It is highly probable that the species described by naturalists
as the brown crane (Ardea Canadensis), is nothing more than
the young of the whooping crane, their descriptions exactly
corresponding with the latter. Ina flock of six or eight, three
or four are usually of that tawny or reddish brown tint on the
back, scapulars, and wing-coverts ; but are evidently yearlings
of the whooping crane, and differ in nothing but in that and
size from the others. They are generally five or six inches
shorter, and the primaries are of a brownish cast.

The whooping crane is four feet six inches in length, from
the point of the bill to the end of the tail, and, when standing
erect, measures nearly five feet; the bill is six inches long,
and an inch and a half in thickness, straight, extremely sharp,
and of a yellowish brown colour; the irides are yellow ; the
forehead, whole crown, and cheeks, are covered with a warty
skin, thinly interspersed with black hairs ; these become more
thickly set towards the base of the bill; the hind head is of an
ash colour, the rest of the plumage pure white, the primaries
excepted, which are black; from the root of each wing rise
numerous large flowing feathers, projecting over the tail and
tips of the wings ; the uppermost of these are broad, drooping,
and pointed at the extremities ; some of them are also loosely
webbed, their silky fibres curling inwards, like those of the

LONG-BILLED CURLEW. 439

ostrich. They seem to occupy the place of the tertials. The
legs and naked part of the thighs are black, very thick and
strong; the hind toe seems rarely or never to reach the hard
ground, though it may probably assist in preventing the bird
from sinking too deep in the mire.

LONG-BILLED CURLEW. (Namenius omer)
PLATE LXIV.—Fie. 4.

Peale’s Museum, No. 3910.

NUMENIUS LONGIROSTRIS.—WI11s0n.*
Numenius longirostris, Bonap. Synop. p. 314.—North.. Zool. ii. p. 376.

Tis American species has been considered by the naturalists
of Kurope to be a mere variety of their own, notwithstanding

* Wilson had the merit of distinguishing and separating this species
from the common curlew of Europe, and giving it the appropriate name
of longirostris, from the extraordinary length of the bill. It will fill in
America the place of the common curlew in this country, and appears to
have the same manners, frequenting the sea-shores in winter, and the
rich dry prairies during the breeding season. Numenius arquata, the
British prototype of WV. longirostris, during the breeding season is en-
tirely an inhabitant of the upland moors. and sheep pastures, and in
the soft and dewy mornings of May and June forms an object in their
early solitude which adds to their wildness. At first dawn, when no-
thing can be seen but rounded hills of rich and green pasture, rising
one beyond another, with perhaps an extensive meadow between, look-
ing more boundless by the mists and shadows of morn, a long string of
sheep marching off at a sleepy pace on their well-beaten track to some
more favourite feeding ground, the shrill tremulous call of the curlew to
his mate has something in it wild and melancholy, yet always pleasing
to the associations. In such situations do they build, making almost no
nest, and, during the commencement of their amours, run skulkingly
among the long grass and rushes, the male rising and sailing round, or
descending with the wings closed above his back, and uttering his pecu-
liar quavering whistle. The approach of an intruder requires more
demonstration of his powers, and he approaches near, buffeting and
uhauping with all his might. When the young are hatched they re-
main near the spot, and are for a long time difficult to raise ; a pointer
will stand and road them, and at this time they are tender and well

440 LONG-BILLED CURLEW.

its difference of colour and superior length of bill. These
differences not being accidental, or found in a few individuals,
but common to all, and none being found in America corre-
sponding with that of Europe, we do not hesitate to consider
the present as a distinct species peculiar to this country.

Like the preceding, this bird is an inhabitant of marshes in
the vicinity of the sea. It is also found in the interior, where,
from its long bill and loud whistling note, it is generally
known.

The curlews appear in the salt marshes of New Jersey
about the middle of May on their way to the north, and in
September on their return from their breeding places. Their
food consists chiefly of small crabs, which they are very dex-
terous at probing for, and pulling out of their holes with their
long bills ; they also feed on those small sea-snails so abundant
in the marshes, and on various worms and insects. They are
likewise fond of bramble-berries, frequenting the fields and

flavoured. By autumn, they are nearly all dispersed to the sea-coasts, and
have now lost their clear whistle. They remain here until next spring,
feeding at low tide on the shore, and retiring fora few miles to inland fields
at high water ; on their return again at the ebb, they show a remarkablein-
stance of the instinctive knowledge implanted in and most conspicuous in
the migratory sea and waterfowl. During my occasional residence onthe
Solway, for some years past, in the month of August, these birds, with
many others, were the objects of observation. They retired regularly
inland after their favourite feeding-places were covered. A long and
narrow ledge of rocks runs into the Firth, behind which we used to lie
concealed for the purpose of getting shots at various sea-fowl returning
at ebb. None were so regular as the curlew. The more aquatic were
near the sea, and could perceive the gradual reflux ; the curlews were
far inland, but as soon as we could perceive the top of a sharp rock
standing above water, we were sure to perceive the first flocks leave the
land, thus keeping pace regularly with the change of the tides. They
fly in a direct line to their feeding grounds, and often in a wedge shape;
on alarm, a simultaneous cry is uttered, and the next coming flock turns
from its course, uttering in repetition the same alarm note. In afew
days they became so wary as not to fly over the concealed station.
They are one of the most difficult birds to approach, except during
spring, but may be enticed by imitating their whistle.—Eb.

LONG-BILLED CURLEW. 441

uplands in search of this fruit, on which they get very fat, and
are then tender and good eating, altogether free from the sedgy
taste with which their flesh is usually tainted while they feed
in the salt marshes.

The curlews fly high, generally in a wedge-like form, some-
what resembling certain ducks, occasionally uttering their
loud whistling note, by a dexterous imitation of which a whole
flock may sometimes be enticed within gunshot, while the cries
of the wounded are sure to detain them until the gunner has
made repeated shots and great havoc among them.

This species is said to breed in Labrador, and in the neigh-
bourhood of Hudson’s Bay. A few instances have been known
of one or two pairs remaining in the salt marshes of Cape May
allsummer. A person of respectability informed me that he
once started a curlew from her nest, which was composed of a
little dry grass, and contained four eggs, very much resembling
in size and colour those of the mud-hen, or clapper rail. This
was in the month of July. Cases of this kind are so rare, that
the northern regions must be considered as the general breed-
ing place of this species.

The long-billed curlew is twenty-five inches in length, and
three feet three inches in extent, and, when in good order,
weighs about thirty ounces, but individuals differ greatly in
this respect ; the bill is eight inches long, nearly straight for
half its length, thence curving considerably downwards to its
extremity, where it ends in an obtuse knob that overhangs the
lower mandible ; the colour black, except towards the base of
the lower, where it is of a pale flesh colour ; tongue, extremely
short, differing in this from the snipe; eye, dark ; the general
colour of the plumage above is black, spotted and barred along
the edge of each feather with pale brown ; chin, line over the
eye and round the same, pale brownish white ; neck, reddish
brown, streaked with black ; spots on the breast more sparingly
dispersed ; belly, thighs, and vent, pale plain rufous, without
any spots ; primaries, black on the outer edges, pale brown on
the inner, and barred with black; shaft of the outer one,

442 YELLOW-CROWNED HERON.

snowy ; rest of the wing, pale reddish brown, elegantly barred
with undulating lines of black; tail, slightly rounded, of an
ashy brown, beautifully marked with herring-bones of black ;
lees and naked thighs, very pale light blue or lead colour, the
middle toe connected with the two outer ones as far as the first
joint by a membrane, and bordered along the sides with a
thick warty edge ; lining of the wing, dark rufous, approaching
a chestnut, and thinly spotted with black. Male and female
alike in plumage. The bill continues to grow in length until
the second season, when the bird receives its perfect plumage.
The stomach of this species is lined with an extremely thick
skin, feeling to the touch like the rough hardened palm of a
sailor or blacksmith. The intestines are very tender, mea-
suring usually about three feet in length, and as thick as
a swan’s quill. On the front, under the skin, there are two
thick callosities, which border the upper sides of the eye, lying
close to the skull. These are common, I believe, to most of
the tringa and scolopax tribes, and are probably designed to
protect the skull from injury while the bird is probing and
searching in the sand and mud.

YELLOW-CROWNED HERON. (Ardea violacea.)
PLATE LXV.—Fic. 1.

Le Crabier de Bahama, Briss. v. p. 481, 41.—Crested Bittern, Catesby, i. p. 79.
—Le Crabier Gris de Fer, Buff’. vii. p. 399.—Arct. Zool. No. 352.—Peale’s
Museum, No. 3738.

NYCTICORAX VIOLACEA.—BONAPARTE. *

Ardea violacea, Bonap. Synop. p. 306.

T's is one of the nocturnal species of the heron tribe, whose
manners, place, and mode of building its nest, resemble greatly

* This curious species is an instance of one of those connecting links
which intervene constantly among what have been defined fixed groups.
The general form and appearance is decidedly a Wycticoraz, and at the
extremity of that form we should place it. Its manners and social
manner of breeding are exactly those of the qua-bird, but it possesses

Lrawn trom Nature by A Wileor:

1. VeHMaw-crowned Heron. 2. Great Heron. 3, Ainerican Bittern, #& least P.

OD.

VELLOW-CROWNED HERON. 443

those of the common night heron (Ardea nycticorax) ; the
form of its bill is also similar. The very imperfect figure and
description of this species by Catesby seem to have led the
greater part of Kuropean ornithologists astray, who appear to
have copied their accounts from that erroneous source, other-
wise it is difficult to conceive why they should either have
given it the name of yellow-crowned, or have described it as
being only fifteen inches in length, since the crown of the
periect bird is pure white, and the whole length very near two
feet. ‘The name, however, erroneous as it is, has been retained
in the present account, for the purpose of more particularly
pointing out its absurdity, and designating the species.

This bird inhabits the lower parts of South Carolina,
Georgia, and Louisiana in the summer season; reposing
during the day among low, swampy woods, and feeding only
in the night. It builds in societies, making its nest with
sticks among the branches of low trees, and lays four pale
blue eggs, This species is not numerous in Carolina, which,
with its solitary mode of life, makes this bird but little known
there. It abounds on the Bahama Islands, where it also breeds ;
and great numbers of the young, as we are told, are yearly
taken for the table, being accounted in that quarter excellent
eating. This bird also extends its migrations into Virginia,
and even farther north ; one of them having been shot a few
years ago on the borders of Schuylkill, below Philadelphia.

The food of this species consists of small fish, crabs, and
lizards, particularly the former; it also appears to have a
strong attachment to the neighbourhood of the ocean.

The yellow-crowned heron is twenty-two inches in length,
from the point of the bill to the end of the tail; the long
flowing plumes of the back extend four inches farther ;
breadth, from tip to tip of the expanded wings, thirty-four

the crest and long dorsal plumes of the egrets. As far as we at present
see, it will form the passage from the last-mentioned form to the night
herons, which will again reach the bitterns by those confused under the
name of tiger bitterns,—Eb.

444 GREAT HERON.

inches; Dill, black, stout, and about four inches in length, the
upper mandible grooved exactly like that of the common
night heron; lores, pale green; irides, fiery red; head and
part of the neck, black, marked on each cheek with an oblong
spot of white; crested crown and upper part of the head white,
ending in two long narrow tapering plumes of pure white,
more than seven inches long ; under these are a few others of
a blackish colour; rest of the neck and whole lower parts,
fine ash, somewhat whitish on that part of the neck where it
joins the black; upper parts, a dark ash, each feather streaked
broadly down the centre with black, and bordered with white ;
wing-quills, deep slate, edged finely with white; tail, even at
the end, and of the same ash colour ; wing-coverts, deep slate,
broadly edged with pale cream ; from each shoulder proceed
a number of long loosely-webbed tapering feathers, of an ash
colour, streaked broadly down the middle with black, and
extending four inches or more beyond the tips of the wings ;
legs and feet, yellow; middle claw, pectinated. Male and
female, as in the common night heron, alike in plumage.

I strongly suspect that the species called by naturalists the
Cayenne night heron (Ardea Cayanensii), is nothing more
than the present, with which, according to their descriptions,
it seems to agree almost exactly.

GREAT HERON. (Ardea Herodias.)
PLATE LXV.—Fic. 2. |

Le Heron Hupé de Virginie, Briss. v. p. 416, 10.—Grand Heron, Buff. vii: p. 355 ;
Id. p. 386.—Largest Crested Heron, Catesby, App. pl. 10, fig. 1.—Lath. Syn.
iii. p. 85, No. 51.—Arct. Zool. No. 341, 342.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3629;
young, 3631.

ARDEA HERODIAS.—Unnats.*
Ardea Herodias, Bonap. Synop. p. 304.—WNorth. Zool. ii. p. 373.
THe history of this large and elegant bird having been long
involved in error and obscurity, I have taken more than com-

* This may be called the representative of the European heron ; it is
considerably larger, but in the general colours bears a strong resemblance,

GREAT HERON. 445

mon pains to present a faithful portrait of it in this place,
and to add to that every fact and authentic particular relative
to its manners which may be necessary to the elucidation of
the subject.*

The great heron is a constant inhabitant of the Atlantic
coast from New York to Florida; in deep snows and severe
weather seeking the open springs of the cedar and cypress
swamps, and the muddy inlets occasionally covered by the

and is, moreover, the only North American bird that can rank with the
genus Ardea in its restricted sense. In manners they are similar, feed
in the evening, or early in the morning, when their prey is most active
in search of its own victims ; but roost at night except during very clear
moonlight. They are extremely shy and watchful, and the height they
are able to overlook, with the advantage of their long legs and neck,
renders them difficult of approach, unless under extensive cover. When
watching their prey they may be said to resemble a cat, prying
anxiously about the sides of the ditches, lake, or stream, but as soon as
the least motion or indication of a living creature is seen, they are fixed
and ready to make a dart almost always unerring. Mouse, frog, or fish,
even rails, and the young of the larger waterfowl, are transfixed, and
being carried to the nearest bank or dry ground, are immediately
swallowed, always with the head downwards. Their prey appears to be
often, if not always, transfixed,—a mode of capture not generally known,
but admirably fitted to secure one as vigilant as the aggressor. One or
two of the wild and beautiful islets on Loch Awe are occupied as breed-
ing places by the herons, where I have climbed to many of their nests,
all well supplied with trout and eels, invariably pierced or stuck through,
None of the species breed on the ground, and it is a curious and rather
anomalous circumstance, that the Ardeadz, the ibis, and some allied birds,
which are decidedly waders, and formed for walking, should build and
roost on trees, where their motions are all awkward, and where they
seem as if constantly placed in a situation contrary to their habits or
abilities, A heronry, during the breeding season, is a curious and inter-
esting, as well as picturesque object.—Ep.

* Latham says of this species, that “all the upper parts of the body,
the belly, tail, and legs, are brown ;” and this description has been
repeated by every subsequent compiler. Buffon, with his usual eloquent
absurdity, describes the heron as “ exhibiting the picture of wretchedness,
anxiety, and indigence ; condemned to struggle perpetually with misery
and want ; sickened with the restless cravings of a famished appetite ; ”
a description so ridiculously untrue, that, were it possible for these
birds to comprehend it, it would excite the risibility of the whole tribe.

446 GREAT HERON.

tides. On the higher inland parts of the country, beyond the
mountains, they are less numerous; and one which was shot
in the upper parts of New Hampshire was described to me
as a great curiosity. Many of their breeding places occur in
both Carolinas, chiefly in the vicinity of the sea. In the lower
parts of New Jersey, they have also their favourite places for
building and rearing their young. ‘These are generally in the
gloomy solitudes of the tallest cedar swamps, where, if un-
molested, they continue annually to breed for many years.
These swamps are from half a mile to a mile in breadth, and
sometimes five or six in length, and appear as if they occupied
the former channel of some choked-up river, stream, lake, or
arm of the sea. The appearance they present to a stranger is
singular.

A front of tall and perfectly straight trunks, rising to the
height of fifty or sixty feet without a limb, and crowded in
every direction, their tops so closely woven together as to
shut out the day, spreading the gloom of a perpetual twilight
below. Ona nearer approach, they are found to rise out of
the water, which, from the impregnation of the fallen leaves
and roots of the cedars, is of the colour of brandy. Amidst
this bottom of congregated springs, the ruins of the former
forest lie piled in every state of confusion. The roots, prostrate
logs, and, in many places, the water, are covered with green
mantling moss, while an undergrowth of laurel fifteen or
twenty feet high intersects every opening so completely as
to render a passage through laborious and harassing beyond
description ; at every step you either sink to the knees, clamber
over fallen timber, squeeze yourself through between the stub-
born laurels, or plunge to the middle in ponds made by the
uprooting of large trees, which the green moss concealed from
observation. In calm weather, the silence of death reigns in
these dreary regions; a few interrupted rays of light shoot
across the gloom; and unless for the occasional hollow screams
of the herons, and the melancholy chirping of one or two
species of small birds, all is silence, solitude, and desolation.

GREAT HERON. 447

When a breeze rises, at first it sighs mournfully through the
tops; but as the gale increases, the tall mastlike cedars wave
like fishing poles, and rubbing against each other, produce a
variety of singular noises, that, with the help of a little ima-
gination, resemble shrieks, groans, growling of bears, wolves,
and such like comfortable music.

On the tops of the tallest of these cedars the herons con-
struct their nests, ten or fifteen pair sometimes occupying a
particular part of the swamp. The nests are large, formed of
sticks, and lined with smaller twigs; each occupies the top
of a single tree. The eggs are generally four, of an oblong
pointed form, larger than those of a hen, and of a light
greenish blue, without any spots. The young are produced
about the middle of May, and remain on the trees until they
are full as heavy as the old ones, being extremely fat, before
they are able to fly. They breed but once in the season. If
disturbed in their breeding place, the old birds fly occasionally
over the spot, sometimes honking like a goose, sometimes
uttering a coarse, hollow grunting noise like that of a hog, but
much louder.

The great heron is said to be fat at the full moon, and lean
at its decrease ; this might be accounted for by the fact of
their fishing regularly by moonlight through the greater part
of the night as well as during the day ; but the observation
is not universal, for at such times I have found some lean, as
well as others fat. The young are said to be excellent for the
table, and even the old birds, when in good order and pro-
perly cooked, are esteemed by many.

The principal food of the great heron is fish, for which he
watches with the most unwearied patience, and seizes them
with surprising dexterity. At the edge of the river, pond, or
sea-shore, he stands fixed and motionless, sometimes for hours
together. But his stroke is quick as thought, and sure as fate,
to the first luckless fish that approaches within his reach ;
these he sometimes beats to death, and always swallows head
foremost, such being their uniform position in the stomach.

448 GREAT HERON.

He is also an excellent mouser, and of great service to our
meadows in destroying the short-tailed or meadow mouse, so
injurious to the banks. He also feeds eagerly on grasshoppers,
various winged insects, particularly dragonflies, which he is
very expert at striking, and also eats the seeds of that species
of nymphe usually called splatterdocks, so abundant along
our fresh-water ponds and rivers.

The heron has great powers of wing, flymg sometimes very
high, and to a great distance; his neck doubled, his head
drawn in, and his long legs stretched out in a right line behind
him, appearing like a tail, and probably serving the same
rudder-like office. When he leaves the sea-coast, and traces
on wing the courses of the creeks or rivers upwards, he is
said to prognosticate rain ; when downwards, dry weather. He
is most jealously vigilant and watchful of man, so that those
who wish to succeed in shooting the heron must approach him
entirely unseen, and by stratagem. The same inducements,
however, for his destruction, do not prevail here as in Europe.
Our sea-shores and rivers are free to all for the amusement of
fishing. Luxury has not yet constructed her thousands of fish-
ponds, and surrounded them with steel traps, spring guns,
and heron snares.* In our vast fens, meadows, and sea-
marshes, this stately bird roams at pleasure, feasting on the
never-failing magazines of frogs, fish, seeds, and insects with
which they abound, and of which he probably considers him-
self the sole lord and proprietor. I have several times seen

* “The heron,” says an English writer, “is a very great devourer of
fish, and does more mischief in a pond than an otter. People who have
kept herons have had the curiosity to number the fish they feed them
with into a tub of water, and counting them again afterwards, it has been
found that they will eat up fifty moderate dace and roaches in a day.
It has been found, that in carp-ponds visited by this bird, one heron
will eat up a thousand store carp inayear ; and will hunt them so close,
as to let very few escape. The readiest method of destroying this mis-
chievous bird is by fishing for him in the manner of pike, with a baited
hook. When the haunt of the heron is found out, three or four small

roach or dace are to be procured, and each of them is to be baited on a
wire, with a strong hook at the end, entering the wire just at the gills,

GREAT HERON. 449

the bald eagle attack and tease the great heron ; but whether
for sport, or to make him disgorge his fish, I am uncertain.

The common heron of Europe (Ardea major) very much
resembles the present, which might, as usual, have probably
been ranked as the original stock, of which the present was a
mere degenerated species, were it not that the American is
greatly superior in size and weight to the European species ;
the former measuring four feet four inches, and weighing
upwards of seven pounds; the latter, three feet three inches,
and rarely weighing more than four pounds. Yet, with the
exception of size, and the rust-coloured thighs of the present,
they are extremely alike. The common heron of Europe,
however, is not an inhabitant of the United States.

The great heron does not receive his full plumage during
the first season, nor until the summer of the second. In the
first season, the young birds are entirely destitute of the white
plumage of the crown, and the long pointed feathers of the
back, shoulders, and breast. In this dress I have frequently
shot them in autumn; but in the third year, both males and
females have assumed their complete dress, and, contrary to
all the European accounts which I have met with, both are
then so nearly alike in colour and markings as scarcely to be
distinguished from each other, both having the long flowing
crest, and all the ornamental white pointed plumage of the
back and breast. Indeed, this sameness in the plumage of
the males and females, when arrived at their perfect state, is a
characteristic of the whole of the genus with which I am ac-
quainted. Whether it be different with those of Europe, or

and letting it run just under the skin to the tail ; the fish will live in
this manner for five or six days, which is a very essential thing ; for if
it be dead, the heron will not touch it. A strong line is then to be pre-
pared of silk and wire twisted together, and is to be about two yards
long ; tie this to the wire that holds the hook, and to the other end of
it there is to be tied a stone of about a pound weight; let three or four
of these baits be sunk in different shallow parts of the pond, and, ina
night or two’s time, the heron will not fail to be taken with one or other
of them.”
VOL. It. 25

450 GREAT HERON.

that the young and imperfect birds have been hitherto mis-
taken for females, I will not pretend to say, though I think the
latter conjecture highly probable, as the night raven (Ardea
nycticorax) has been known in Europe for several centuries,
and yet, in all their accounts, the sameness of the colours and
plumage of the male and female of that bird is nowhere men-
tioned ; on the contrary, the young or yearling bird has been
universally described as the female.

On the 18th of May, I examined, both externally and by
dissection, five specimens of the great heron, all in complete
plumage, killed in a cedar swamp near the head of Tucka-
hoe river, in Cape May county, New Jersey. In this case, the
females could not be mistaken, as some of the eggs were nearly
ready for exclusion.

Length of the great heron, four feet four inches from the
point of the bill to the end of the tail ; and to the bottom of
the feet, five feet four inches; extent, six feet; bill eight
inches long, and one inch and a quarter in width, of a yellow
colour, in some, blackish on the ridge, extremely sharp at the
point, the edges also sharp, and slightly serrated near the
extremity ; space round the eye, from the nostril, a light
purplish blue ; irides, orange, brightening into yellow where
they join the pupil ; forehead and middle of the crown, white
passing over the eye; sides of the crown and hind head, deep
slate or bluish black, and elegantly crested, the two long,
tapering black feathers being full eight inches in length ;
chin, cheeks, and sides of the head, white for several inches ;
throat white, thickly streaked with double rows of black ; rest
of the neck, brownish ash, from the lower part of which shoot
a great number of long, narrow, pointed white feathers, that
spread over the breast, and reach nearly to the thighs;
under these long plumes, the breast itself and middle of the
belly are of a deep blackish slate, the latter streaked with
white ; sides, blue ash; vent, white; thighs and ridges of the
wings, a dark purplish rust colour ; whole upper parts of the
wings, tail, and body, a fine light ash, the latter ornamented

GREAT HERON. A451

with a profusion of long, narrow, white, tapering feathers,
originating on the shoulders or upper part of the back, and
falling gracefully over the wings ; primaries, very dark slate,
nearly black ; naked thighs, brownish yellow ; lees, brownish
black, tinctured with yellow, and netted with seams of whitish ;
in some, the legs are nearly black. Little difference could be
perceived between the plumage of the males and females ;
the latter were rather less, and the long pointed plumes of
the back were not quite so abundant.

The young birds of the first year have the whole upper
part of the head of a dark slate; want the long plumes of
the breast and back; and have the body, neck, and lesser
coverts of the wings considerably tinged with ferruginous.

On dissection, the gullet was found of great width from
the mouth to the stomach, which has not the two strong
muscular coats that form the gizzard of some birds ; it was
more loose, of considerable and uniform thickness throughout,
and capable of containing nearly a pint. It was entirely
filled with fish, among which were some small eels, all placed
head downwards ; the intestines measured nine feet in length,
were scarcely as thick as a goose-quill, and incapable of
being distended ; so that the vulgar story of the heron swal-
lowing eels, which, passing suddenly through him, are repeat-
edly swallowed, is absurd and impossible. On the external
coat of the stomach of one of these birds, opened soon after
being shot, something like a blood-vessel lay in several
meandering folds, enveloped in a membrane, and closely
adhering to the surface. On carefully opening this membrane,
it was found to contain a large, round, living worm, eight
inches in length; another, of like length, was found coiled,
in the same manner, on another part of the external coat.
It may also be worthy of notice, that the intestines of the
young birds of the first season, killed in the month of October,
when they were nearly as large as the others, measured only
six feet four or five inches ; those of the full-grown ones, from
eight to nine feet in length.

452 AMERICAN BITTERN.

AMERICAN BITTERN. (Ardea minor.)

PLATE LXV.—Fie. 3.

Le Butor de la Baye de Hudson, Briss. v. p. 449, 25.—Buff. vii. p. 480.—
Edw. 136.— Lath. Syn. iii. p. 58.— Peale’s Museum, No. 3727.

BOTAURUS MINOR.—BoNAPARTE.
Ardea minor, Bonap. Synop. p. 307.—Ardea Mokoho, Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 29.

Tus is another nocturnal species, common to all our sea and
river marshes, though nowhere numerous. It rests all day
among the reeds and rushes, and, unless disturbed, flies and
feeds only during the night. In some places it is called the
Indian-hen ; on the sea-coast of New Jersey it is known by
the name of dunkadoo a word probably imitative of its common
note. They are also found in the interior, having myself
killed one at the inlet of the Seneca Lake in October. It utters,
at times, a hollow guttural note among the reeds, but has
nothing of that loud booming sound for which the European
bittern is so remarkable. This circumstance, with its great
inferiority of size and difference of marking, sufficiently prove
them to be two distinct species, although hitherto the present
has been classed as a mere variety of the European bittern.
These birds, we are informed, visit Severn River, at Hudson’s
Bay, about the beginning of June; make their nests in swamps,
laying four cinereous green eggs among the long grass. The
young are said to be at first black.

These birds, when disturbed, rise with a hollow kwa, and
are then easily shot down, as they fly heavily. Like other
night birds, their sight is most acute during the evening twi-
light ; but their hearing is at all times exquisite.

The American bittern is twenty-seven inches long, and three
feet four inches in extent ; from the point of the bill to the
extremity of the toes, it measures three feet ; the bill is four

AMERICAN BITTERN. 453

inches long; the upper mandible, black ; the lower, greenish
yellow ; lores and eyelids, yellow ; irides, bright yellow ; upper
part of the head, flat, and remarkably depressed ; the plumage
there is of a deep blackish brown, long behind and on the
neck, the general colour of which is a yellowish brown shaded
with darker ; this long plumage of the neck the bird can throw
forward at will when irritated, so as to give him a more for-
midable appearance ; throat, whitish, streaked with deep brown ;
from the posterior and lower part of the auriculars, a broad
patch of deep black passes diagonally across the neck, a dis-
tinguished characteristic of this species; the back is deep
brown, barred and mottled with innumerable specks and
streaks of brownish yellow ; quills, black, with a leaden gloss,
and tipt with yellowish brown; legs and feet, yellow, tinged
with pale green ; middle claw, pectinated ; belly, light yellow-
ish brown, streaked with darker ; vent, plain; thighs, sprinkled
on the outside with grains of dark brown; male and female
nearly alike, the latter somewhat less. According to Bewick,
the tail of the European bittern contains only ten feathers ;
the American species has invariably twelve. The intestines
measured five feet six inches in length, and were very little
thicker than a common knitting-needle ; the stomach is usually
filled with fish or frogs.*

This bird, when fat, is considered by many to be excellent
eating.

* T have taken an entire water-rail from the stomach of the European
bittern.— Eb.

AS4 LEAST BITTERN.

LEAST BITTERN. (Ardea exilis.)
PLATE LXV.—Fic. 4, Mate.

Lath. Syn. iii. p. 26, No. 28.—Peale's Museum, No. 3814; female, 3815.
ARDEOLA EXILIS.—BONAPARTE.*

Ardeola exilis, Bonap. Synop. p. 309.—Ardea exilis, Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 43.—
Le Heron Rouge et Noir, Azar. Voy. 360.—Descript. Opt. Auct. Wagl.

Tis is the smallest known species of the whole tribe. It is
commonly found in fresh-water meadows, and rarely visits
the salt marshes. One shot near Great Ege Harbour was
presented to me as a very uncommon bird. In the meadows
of Schuylkill and Delaware, below Philadelphia, a few of
these birds breed every year, making their nests in the thick
tussocks of grass in swampy places. When alarmed, they
seldom fly far, but take shelter among the reeds or long grass.
They are scarcely ever seen exposed, but skulk during the
day ; and, like the preceding species, feed chiefly in the night.

This little creature measures twelve inches in length, and
sixteen in extent; the bill is more than two inches and a
quarter long, yellow, ridged with black, and very sharp
pointed ; space round the eye, pale yellow; irides, bright
yellow ; whole upper part of the crested head, the back,
scapulars, and tail, very deep slate, reflecting slight tints of
green ; throat, white, here and there tinged with buff; hind
part of the neck, dark chestnut bay ; sides of the neck, cheeks,
and line over the eye, brown buff; lesser wing-coverts, the
same; greater wing-coverts, chestnut, with a spot of the same

* Bonaparte proposes the title of Ardeola as a subgenus for this
species and the A. minuta of Britain. They differ from the other
(A. virescens, &c.) small herons, in having the space above the knees
plumed, and in the scapularies taking the broad form of those of the
bitterns and night herons, instead of beautifully lengthened plumes.

Three species will constitute this group—that of America, A. extlis ;
A. minuta, of Europe ; and A, pusilla, Wagl., of New Holland. They

are all very similar ; the latter has been confounded hitherto with the
others.—Ep.

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WOOD IBIS, 455

at the bend of the wing; the primary coverts are also tipt
with the same; wing-quills, dark slate; breast, white, tinged
with ochre, under which lie a number of blackish feathers ;
belly and vent, white; sides, pale ochre ; legs, greenish on the
shins, hind part and feet, yellow; thighs, feathered to within
a quarter of an inch of the knees; middle claw, pectinated ;
toes, tinged with pale green ; feet, large, the span of the foot
measuring two inches and three-quarters. Male and female,
nearly alike in colour. The young birds are brown on the
crown and back. The stomach was filled with small fish ;
and the intestines, which were extremely slender, measured in
length about four feet.

The least bittern is also found in Jamaica, and several of
the West India islands.

WOOD IBIS. (Zantalus loculator.)
PLATE LXVI.—Fre. 1.

Gmel. Syst. p. 647.—Le Grand Courly d’Amerique, Briss. v. p. 335, 8.—Couri-
caca, Buff. vii. p. 276, Pl. enl. 868.—Catesby, i. 81.—Arct. Zool. No. 360.—
Lath. Syn. iii. p. 104.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3832.

TANTALUS LOCULATOR.—Unnxzvs.*
Tantalus loculator, Bonap. Synop, p. 310.— Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 1.

THe wood ibis inhabits the lower parts of Louisiana, Caro-
lina, and Georgia; is very common in Florida, and extends

* This species, I believe peculiar to the New World, is extensively
dispersed over it, but migratory towards the north. The bird stated by
Latham as identical with this, from New Holland, will most probably
turn out the 7. lactews or leucocephalus ; at all events, distinct. The
genera Tantalus and Ibis run into each other in one of those gradual
marches where it is nearly impossible to mark the distinction ; yet, taking
the extremes, the difference is very great. Tantalus loculator is the only
American species of the former group, principally distinguished by the
base of the bill being equal in breadth with the forehead, which, with
the face, cheeks, and throat, are bare. In their general manner, they
are more sluggish than the ibis, and possess more of the inactivity of
the heron when gorged, or the sedate gait of the stork and adjutants.

456 WOOD IBIS.

as far south as Cayenne, Brazil, and various parts of South
America. In the United States it is migratory; but has
never, to my knowledge, been found to the north of Virginia.
Its favourite haunts are watery savannas and inland swamps,
where it feeds on fish and reptiles. The French inhabitants
of Louisiana esteem it good eating.

The known species have been limited to about five in number, natives
of America, Africa, and India. The genus Jbis is more extensive ; they
are spread over all the world, and among themselves present very con-
siderable modifications of form. Those of Northern America are three—
the two now figured, and the J. falcinellus of Europe, first noticed by
Mr Ord as a native of that country in the Journal of the Academy,
under the name of Tantalus Mexicanus, and afterwards recognised by
the Prince of Musignano as the bird of Europe. By Wagler, in his
“Systema Avium,” they are put into three divisions, distinguished by the
scutellation of the tarsi, and the proportion of the toes. The face is
often bare ; in one or two the crown is developed into a shield, as in
I, calva; in a few the head and neck are unplumed, J. sacra and
melanocephalus ; and in some, as that of Europe, the face and head are
nearly wholly clothed, and bear close resemblance tothe curlews, They
are all partly gregarious, feed in small groups, and breed on trees in
most extensive communities. They include birds well known for many
curious particulars connected with the history and superstitions of
nations, and gorgeous from the pureness and decided contrast or dazzling
richness of their plumage. To the former will belong the sacred ibis
of antiquity, whose bodies, im the words of a versatile and pleasing writer,
“from the perfection of an unknown process, have almost defied the
ravages of time ; and, through its interventions, the self-same indivi-
duals exist in a tangible form which wandered along the banks of the
mysterious Nile in the earliest ages of the world, or, ‘in dim seclusion
veiled,’ inhabited the sanctuary of temples, which, though themselves
of most magnificent proportions, are now scarcely discernible amid the
desert dust of an unpeopled wilderness.” To the others will belong the
brilliant species next described, no less remarkable for its unassuming
garb in the dress of the first year, and the richly plumaged glossy ibis.
The last-mentioned bird is more worthy of notice, holding a prominent
part in the mythology of the Egyptians, and occasionally honoured by
embalmment ; it is also of extensive geographical distribution, being
found in India, Africa, America, Europe, and an occasional stray
individual finding a devious course to the shores of Great Britain. A

specimen has occurred on the Northumbrian coast within this month.
—Eb.

WOOD IBIS. 457

With the particular manners of this species I am not per-
sonally acquainted ; but the following characteristic traits are
given of it by Mr William Bartram, who had the best oppor-
tunities of noting them :—

“This solitary bird,’ he observes, “‘ does not associate in
flocks, but is generally seen alone, commonly near the banks
of great rivers, in vast marshes or meadows, especially such as
are covered by inundations, and also in the vast deserted rice
plantations; he stands alone, on the topmost limb of tall,
dead cypress trees, his neck contracted or drawn in upon his
shoulders, and his beak resting like a long scythe upon his
breast; in this pensive posture and solitary situation, they
look extremely grave, sorrowful, and melancholy, as if in the
deepest thought. They are never seen on the sea-coast, and
yet are never found at a great distance from it. They feed on
serpents, young alligators, frogs, and other reptiles.” *

The figure of this bird given in the plate was drawn from
a very fine specimen, sent to me from Georgia by Stephen
Elliot, Esq. of Beaufort, South Carolina ; its size and mark-

“ings were as follow :—

Length, three feet two inches; bill, nearly nine inches long,
straight for half its length, thence curving downwards to the
extremity, and full two inches thick at the base, where it rises
high in the head, the whole of a brownish horn colour ; the
under mandible fits into the upper in its whole length, and
both are very sharp edged; face, and naked head, and part
of the neck, dull greenish blue, wrinkled ; eye, large, seated
high in the head ; irides, dark red ; under the lower jaw is a
loose corrugated skin or pouch, capable of containing about
half a pint; whole body, neck, and lower parts, white ; quills,
dark glossy green and purple; tail, about two inches shorter
than the wings, even at the end, and of a deep and rich violet,
legs and naked thighs, dusky green ; feet and toes, yellowish,
sprinkled with black ; feet, almost semipalmated, and bordered
to the claws with a narrow membrane; some of the greater

* Travels, d&c., p. 150.

458 SCARLET IBIS.

wing-coverts are black at the root, and shafted with black ;
plumage on the upper ridge of the neck generally worn, as in
the presented specimen, with rubbing on the back, while in its
common position of resting its bill on its breast, in the manner
of the white ibis. (See fig. 3.)

The female has only the head and chin naked ; both are
subject to considerable changes of colour when young, the body
being found sometimes blackish above, the belly cinereous, and
spots of black on the wing-coverts; all of which, as the birds
advance in age, gradually disappear, and leave the plumage
of the body, &c., as has been described.

SCARLET IBIS. (Yantalus ruber.)

PLATE LXVI.—Fic. 2.

Le Courly Rouge du Bresil, Briss. v. p. 344, pl. 29, fig. 2.—Red Curlew, Catesby,
i, 84.—Arct. Zool. No. 366, 382.—Peale’s Musewm, No. 3864; female, 3868.
IBIS RUBRA,.—VIEILLOT.

Ibis rubra, Vieill. Bonap. Synop. p. 311.—Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 4.—Ibis ruber,
Wils. Ill. of Zool. i. pl. 7, and 36 in the plumage of second and first years.—
Ibis rouge, Less. Man. d’ Ornith. ii. p. 254.

Ts beautiful bird is found in the most southern parts of

Carolina, also in Georgia and Florida, chiefly about the sea-

shore and its vicinity. In most parts of America within the

tropics, and in almost all the West India islands, it is said
to be common, also in the Bahamas. Of its manners, little
more has been collected than that it frequents the borders of
the sea, and shores of the neighbouring rivers, feeding on
small fry, shellfish, sea-worms, and small crabs. It is said
frequently to perch on trees, sometimes in large flocks; but
to lay its eggs on the ground on a bed of leaves. The eggs
are described as being of a greenish colour; the young, when
hatched, black; soon after, grey; and before they are able
to fly, white ; continuing gradually to assume their red colour
until the third year, when the scarlet plumage is complete.
It is also said that they usually keep in flocks, the young and

WHITE IBIS. 459

old birds separately. They have frequently been domesti-
cated.

One of them, which lived for some time in the museum of
this city, was dexterous at catching flies, and most usually
walked about in that pursuit in the position in which it is
represented in the plate.

The scarlet ibis measures twenty-three inches in length,
and thirty-seven in extent; the bill is five inches long, thick,
and somewhat of a square form at the base, gradually bent
downwards, and sharply ridged, of a black colour, except near
the base, where it inclines to red; irides, dark hazel; the
naked face is finely wrinkled, and of a pale red; chin, also
bare and wrinkled for about an inch ; whole plumage, a rich
glowing scarlet, except about three inches of the extremities
of the four outer quill-feathers, which are of a deep steel-blue ;
legs and naked part of the thighs, pale red, the three anterior
toes united by a membrane as far as the first joint.

Whether the female differs in the colour of her plumage
from the male, or what changes both undergo during the first
and second years, I am unable to say from personal observa-
tion. Being a scarce species with us, and only found on our
most remote southern shores, a sufficient number of specimens
have not been procured to enable me to settle this matter
with sufficient certainty.

WHITE IBIS. (Tantalus albus.)
PLATE LXVI.—Fre. 3.

Le Courly Blane du Bresil, Briss. v. p. 339, 10.—Buff. viii, p. 41.—White

Curlew, Catesby, i. pl. 82.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 111, No. 9.—Arct. Zool. No.
363.

IBIS ALBA,—VIEILxor.
Ibis alba, Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 5.—Bonap. Synop. p. 312.

Tis species bears in every respect, except that of colour, so
strong a resemblance to the preceding, that I have been almost
induced to believe it the same in its white or imperfect stage

460 WHITE IBIS.

of colour. The length and form of the bill, the size, confor-
mation, as well as colour of the legs, the general length and
breadth, and even the steel-blue on the four outer quill-feathers,
are exactly alike in both. These suggestions, however, are
not made with any certainty of its being the same, but as cir-
cumstances which may lead to a more precise examination of
the subject hereafter.

I found this species pretty numerous on the borders of Lake
Pontchartrain, near New Orleans, in the month of June, and
also observed the Indians sitting in market with strings of
them for sale. I met with them again on the low keys or
islands off the peninsula of Florida) Mr Bartram observes
that “they fly in large flocks or squadrons, evening and
morning, to and from their feeding places or roosts, and are
usually called Spanish curlews. They feed chiefly on crayfish,
whose cells they probe, and, with their strong pinching bills,
drag them out.” The low islands above mentioned abound
with these creatures and small crabs, the ground in some
places seeming alive with them, so that the rattling of their
shells against one another was incessant. My venerable friend,
in his observations on these birds, adds, “‘ It is a pleasing sight,
at times of high winds and heavy thunderstorms, to observe
the numerous squadrons of these Spanish curlews driving to
and fro, turning and tacking about high up in the air, when, by
their various evolutions in the different and opposite currents
of the wind, high in the clouds, their silvery white plumage
gleams and sparkles like the brightest crystal, reflecting the
sunbeams that dart upon them between the dark clouds.”

The white ibis is twenty-three inches long, and thirty-seven
inches in extent ; bill formed exactly like that of the scarlet
species, of a pale red, blackish towards the point ; face a red-
dish flesh colour, and finely wrinkled ; irides, whitish ; whole
plumage pure white, except about four inches of the tips of the
four outer quill-feathers, which are of a deep and glossy steel-
blue ; legs and feet pale red, webbed to the first joint.

These birds I frequently observed standing on the dead

RED FLAMINGO. AOI
limbs of trees and on the shore resting on one leg, their body
in an almost perpendicular position, as represented in the
figure, the head and bill resting on the breast. This appears
to be its most common mode of resting, and perhaps sleeping,
as, in all those which I examined, the plumage on the upper
ridge of the neck and upper part of the back was evidently
worn by this habit. The same is equally observable on the
neck and back of the wood ibis.

The present species rarely extends its visits north of Caro-
lina, and even in that State is only seen for a few weeks to-
wards the end of summer. In Florida they are common, but
seldom remove to any great distance from the sea.

RED FLAMINGO. (Phenicopterus ruber.)
PLATE LXVI.—Fic. 4.

Le Flamant, Briss. vi. p. 532, pl. 47, fig. 1.—Buff. viii. p. 475, pl. 39, Pl. enl.
63.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 299, pl. 93.—Arct. Zool. No. 422.—Catesby, i. pl. 73,
74.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3545, bird of the first year ; No. 3546, bird of the
second year,

PH@NICOPTERUS RUBER.—LINNEUS.

Pheenicopterus ruber, Bonap. Synop. p. 348.

THis very singular species, being occasionally seen on the
southern frontiers of the United States and on the peninsula
of Hast Florida, where it is more common, has a claim to a
niche in our ornithological museum, although the author re-
grets that, from personal observation, he can add nothing to
the particulars of its history already fully detailed in various
European works. From the most respectable of these, the
“Synopsis” of Dr Latham, he has collected such particulars as
appear authentic and interesting.

“This remarkable bird has the neck and legs in a greater
disproportion than any other bird ; the length from the end of
the bill to that of the tail is four feet two or three inches ; but
to the end of the claws, measures sometimes more than six
feet. The bill is four inches and a quarter long, and of a con-

462 RED FLAMINGO.

struction different from that of any other bird ; the upper man-
dible very thin and flat, and somewhat movable; the under,
thick ; both of them bending downwards from the middle ; the
nostrils are linear, and placed in a blackish membrane; the
end of the bill, as far as the bend, is black ; from thence to the
base, reddish yellow ; round the base, quite to the eye, covered
with a flesh-coloured cere; the neck is slender, and of a great,
length ; the tongue, large, fleshy, filling the cavity of the bill,
furnished with twelve or more hooked papillze on each side,
turning backwards ; the tip, a sharp cartilaginous substance.
The bird, when in full plumage, is wholly of a most deep
scarlet (those of Africa said to be the deepest), except the
quills, which are black; from the base of the thigh to the
claws, measures thirty-two inches, of which the feathered part
takes up no more than three inches; the bare part above the
knee, thirteen inches ; and from thence to the claws, sixteen ;
the colour of the bare parts is red, and the toes are furnished
with a web, as in the duck genus, but is deeply indented.
The legs are not straight, but slightly bent, the shin rather
projecting.

“These birds do not gain their full plumage till the third
year. In the first, they are of a greyish white for the most
part; the second, of a clearer white, tinged with red, or rather
rose colour ; but the wings and scapulars are red ; in the third
year, a general glowing scarlet manifests itself throughout ;
the bill and legs also keep pace with the gradation of colour
in the plumage, these parts changing to their colours by de-
grees, as the bird approaches to an adult state.

“Flamingoes prefer a warm climate ; in the old continent
not often met with beyond forty degrees north or south ; every-
where seen on the African coast and adjacent isles, quite
to the Cape of Good Hope,* and now and then on the coasts
of Spain,t Italy, and those of France lying on the Mediterra-

* In Zee Coow river.—Philosophical Transactions. Once plenty in

the Isle of France.— Voyage to Mauritius, p. 66.
+ About Valencia, in the Lake Albufere.—Dillon’s Travels, p. 374.

RED FLAMINGO. 463

nean Sea, being at times met with at Marseilles, and for
some way up the Rhone; in some seasons frequent Aleppo #
and parts adjacent ; seen also on the Persian side of the Cas-
pian Sea, and from thence along the western coast as far as
the Wolga, though this at uncertain times, and chiefly in
considerable flocks, coming from the north coast mostly in
October and November, but so soon as the wind changes,
they totally disappear.f They breed in the Cape Verd Isles,
particularly in that of Sal.{ The nest is of a singular con-
struction, made of mud, in shape of a hillock, with a cavity at
top ; in this the female lays generally two white eges, § of the
size of those of a goose, but more elongated. The hillock
is of such a height as to admit of the bird’s sitting on it
conveniently, or rather standing, as the legs are placed one
on each side at full length. || The young cannot fly till full
grown, but run very fast.

“Flamingoes, for the most part, keep together in flocks,
and now and then are seen in great numbers together, except
in breeding time. Dampier mentions having, with two more
in company, killed fourteen at once ; but this was effected by
secreting themselves, for they are very shy birds, and will by
no means suffer any one to approach openly near enough to
shoot them.{/ Kolben observes that they are very numerous
at the Cape, keeping in the day on the borders of the lakes
and rivers, and lodging themselves of nights in the long grass
on the hills. They are also common to various places in the
warmer parts of America, frequenting the same latitudes as
in other quarters of the world ; being met with in Peru, Chili,

* Russel’s Aleppo, p. 69.

tT Decouv. Russ. 11. p, 24.

~ Dampier’s Voy. i. p. 70.

§ They never lay more than three, and seldom fewer.—Phil. Trans.

|| Sometimes will lay the eggs on a projecting part of a low rock, if
it be placed sufficiently convenient so as to admit of the legs being placed
one on each side.—Linneus.

§| Davies talks of the gunner disguising himself in an ox-hide, and,
by this means, getting within gunshot:-—WMist. of Barbadoes, p. 88.

404 RED FLAMINGO.

Cayenne,* and the coast of Brazil, as well as the various
islands of the West Indies. Sloane found them in Jamaica,
but particularly at the Bahama Islands, and that of Cuba,
where they breed. When seen at a distance, they appear as
a regiment of soldiers, being arranged alongside of one another,
on the borders of the rivers, searching for food, which chiefly
consists of small fish,} or the eggs of them, and of water insects,
which they search after by plunging in the bill and part of the
head ; from time to time trampling with their feet to muddy
the water, that their prey may be raised from the bottom. In
feeding, are said to twist the neck in such a manner that the
upper part of the bill is applied to the ground ; { during this,
one of them is said to stand sentinel, and the moment he
sounds the alarm, the whole flock take wing. This bird, when
at rest, stands on one leg, the other being drawn up close to
the body, with the head placed under the wing on that side
of the body it stands on.

“The flesh of these birds is esteemed pretty good meat, and
the young thought by some equal to that of a partridge ;§
but the greatest dainty is the tongue, which was esteemed by
the ancients an exquisite morsel.|| Are sometimes caught
young, and brought up tame ; but are ever impatient of cold,
and in this state will seldom live a great while, gradually
losing their colour, flesh, and appetite, and dying for want
of that food which, in a state of nature at large, they were
abundantly supplied with.”

* Called there by the name of Tococo,

+ Small shellfish.Gesner. { Linneeus, Brisson.

§ Commonly fat, and accounted delicate —Davies’ Hist. of Barbadoes,
p- 88. The inhabitants of Provence always throw away the flesh, as it
tastes fishy, and only make use of the feathers as ornaments to other
birds at particular entertainments.—Dillon’s Travels, p. 374.

|| See Plin. ix. cap. 48.

; £9
wayeaoys 1 ‘ako-uapjon'9 GLO SET LE OSILD) TDA MED TE, OPOUAT "OD "T PIPVIY-YOAING EF “YIN JANG LO YIMTT

sry AG Peavihug,
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BLACK OR SURF DUCK. 465

BLACK OR SURF DUCK. (Anas perspicillata.)
PLATE LXVII.—Fic. 2, Maun.

La Grande Macreuse de la Baye de Hudson, Briss. vi. 425, 30.—La Macreuse a
large bec, Buff. ix. p. 244, Pl. enl. 995.—Edw. pl. 155.—Lath. Syn. iii. p.
479.—Phil. Trans. 1xii. p. 417.—Peale’s Museum, No. 2788 ; female, 2789.

OIDEMIA PERSPICILLATA.—StTEPHENS.

Oidemia perspicillata, Steph. Cont. Sh. Gen. Zool. xii. p. 219.—Oidemia, subgen.
Fuligula perspicillata, Bonap. Synop. p. 389.—Oidemia perspicillata, Worth.
Zool. ii. p. 449.—Jard. and Selby, Illust. of Ornith. pl. 138.

‘urs duck is peculiar to America,* and altogether confined to
the shores and bays of the sea, particularly where the waves
roll over the sandy beach. Their food consists principally of
those small bivalve shellfish already described, spout-fish, and
others that lie in the sand near its surface. For these they
dive almost constantly, both in the sandy bays and amidst the
tumbling surf. ‘They seldom or never visit the salt marshes.
They continue on our shores during the winter, and leave us
early in May for their breeding places in the north. Their
skins are remarkably strong, and their flesh coarse, tasting of
fish. ‘They are shy birds, not easily approached, and are com-
mon in winter along the whole coast, from the river St Law-
rence to Florida.

The length of this species is twenty inches ; extent, thirty-
two inches; the bill is yellowish red, elevated at the base, and
marked on the side of the upper mandible with a large square
patch of black, preceded by another space of a pearl colour ;
the part of the bill thus marked swells or projects consider-

* One or two instances of this bird being killed on the shores of
Great Britain have occurred ; and, as an occasional visitant, it will be
figured in the concluding number of Mr Selby’s “ Illustrations of British
Ornithology.” It is also occasionally met with on the continent of
Europe, but generally in high latitudes, and though unfrequent else-
where, it is not entirely confined to America.— Ep.

VOL. IL. 2G

466 BLACK OR SURF DUCK.

ably from the common surface; the nostrils are large and
pervious ; the sides of the bill broadly serrated or toothed ;
both mandibles are furnished with a nail at the extremity ;
irides, white or very pale cream; whole plumage, a shining
black, marked on the crown and hind head with two triangular
spaces of pure white; the plumage on both these spots is
shorter and thinner than the rest ; legs and feet, blood red ;
membrane of the webbed feet, black; the primary quills are
of a deep dusky brown.

On dissection, the gullet was found to be gradually enlarged
to the gizzard, which was altogether filled with broken shell-
fish. There was a singular hard expansion at the commence-
ment of the windpipe, and another much larger about three-
quarters of an inch above where it separates into the two lobes
of the lungs; this last was larger than a Spanish hazel-nut,
flat on one side, and convex on the other. The protuberance
on each side of the bill communicated with the nostril, and
was hollow. All these were probably intended to contain
supplies of air for the bird’s support while under water; the
last may also protect the head from the sharp edges of the
shells.

The female is altogether of a sooty brown, lightest about
the neck; the prominences on the bill are scarcely observable,
and its colour dusky.

This species was also found by Captain Cook at Nontilea
Sound, on the north-west coast of America.

BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK. 467

BUFFEL-HEADED DUCK. (Anas albeola.)

PLATE LXVII.—Fice. 2, Mate; Fic. 3, FEMALE.

Le Sarselle de Louisiane, Briss. vi. p. 461, pl. 41, fig. 1.—Le Petit Canard a grosse
téte, Buff. ix. p. 249.—Hdwards, ii. p. 100.—Catesby, i. 95.—Lath. Syn. iii.
p. 533.—A. bucephala, id. p. 121, No. 21; A. rustica, id. p. 524, No. 24.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 2730 ; female, 2731.

CLANGULA ALBEOLA.—Botz.
Fuligula albeola, Bonap. Synop. p. 394.—Clangula albeola, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 458.

THis pretty little species, usually known by the name of the
butter-box or butter-ball, is common to the sea-shores, rivers,
and lakes of the United States in every quarter of the country
during autumn and winter. About the middle of April or
early in May they retire to the north to breed. They are
dexterous divers, and fly with extraordinary velocity. So
early as the latter part of February, the males are observed to
have violent disputes for the females. At this time they are
more commonly seen in flocks, but during the preceding part of
winter they usually fly in pairs. Their note is a short quak.
They feed much on shellfish, shrimps, &. They are some-
times exceedingly fat, though their flesh is inferior to many
others for the table. The male exceeds the female in size,
and greatly in beauty of plumage.

The buffel-headed duck, or rather, as it has originally been,
the buffalo-headed duck, from the disproportionate size of its
head, is fourteen inches long, and twenty-three inches in
extent; the bill is short, and of a light blue, or leaden colour ;
the plumage of the head and half of the neck is thick, long,
and velvety, projecting greatly over the lower part of the
neck; this plumage on the forehead and nape is rich glossy
green, changing into a shining purple on the crown and sides
of the neck; from the eyes backward passes a broad band
of pure white ; iris of the eye, dark; back, wings, and part
of the scapulars, black ; rest of the scapulars, lateral band
along the wing, and whole breast, snowy white; belly, vent,

468 CANADA GOOSE.

and tail-coverts, dusky white; tail, pointed, and of a hoary
colour.

The female is considerably less than the male, and entirely
destitute of the tumid plumage of the head; the head, neck,
and upper parts of the body, and wings, are sooty black,
darkest on the crown; side of the head marked with a small
oblong spot of white ; bill, dusky ; lower part of the neck, ash,
tipt with white; belly, dull white; vent, cinereous; outer
edges of six of the secondaries and their incumbent coverts,
white, except the tips of the latter, which are black ; lees and
feet, a livid blue ; tail, hoary brown ; length of the intestines,
three feet six inches; stomach filled with small shellfish.
This is the spirit-duck of Pennant, so called from its dexterity
in diving (Arctic Zoology, No. 487), likewise the little brown
duck of Catesby (Natural History of Carolina, pl. 98).

This species is said to come into Hudson’s Bay, about
Severn River, in June, and make their nests in trees in the
woods near ponds.* The young males during the first year
are almost exactly like the females in colour.

CANADA GOOSE. (Anas Canadensis.)

PLATE LXVII.—Fie. 4.

L’Oye Savage de Canada, Briss. vi. p. 272, 4, pl. 26.—L’Oie a cravatte, Buff. ix.
p. 82.—Edw. pl. 151.—Arct. Zool. No. 471.—Catesby, i. pl. 92.—Lath. Syn.
ii. p. 450.—Peale’s Museum, No. 2704.
ANSER CAN ADENSIS.—VIEI1L101.*

Bernicla Canadensis, Boie.—Anser Canadensis, Bonap. Synop. p. 377.—WNorth.
Zool. ii. p. 468.—L’Outarde, French Canadians.—Bustard, Huds. B. Settlers.

T'u1s is the common wild goose of the United States, univer-
sally known over the whole country, whose regular periodical

* Latham.

+ The appellation “ geese” will mark, in a general way, the birds and
form to which Anser should be generically applied. They are all of large
size, possess in part the gait of a gallinaceous bird, are gregarious, except
during the breeding season, mostly migratory, and are formed more for

CANADA GOOSE. 469

migrations are the sure signals of returning spring or ap-
proaching winter. The tracts of their vast migratory jour-
neys are not confined to the sea-coast or its vicinity. In
their aerial voyages to and from the north, these winged
pilgrims pass over the interior on both sides of the mountains,
as far west, at least, as the Osage River; and I have never yet
visited any quarter of the country where the inhabitants are
not familiarly acquainted with the regular passing and repass-
ing of the wild geese. he general opinion here is, that they
are on their way to the lakes to breed; but the inhabitants
on the confines of the great lakes that separate us from
Canada are equally ignorant with ourselves of the particular
breeding places of those birds. There, their journey north is
but commencing ; and how far it extends it is impossible for
us at present to ascertain, from our little acquaintance with
these frozen regions. They were seen by Hearne in large
flocks within the arctic circle, and were then pursuing their
way still farther north. Captain Phipps speaks of seeing
wild geese feeding at the water's edge on the dreary coast of
Spitzbergen, in lat. 80° 27’. It is highly probable that they
extend their migrations under the very pole itself, amid the

extensive flight than for the life of a truly aquatic feeding and diving
bird. Most of them, during winter, at times leave the sea or lakes, and
feed on the pastures, or, when to be had, on the newly-sprung grains,
while some feed entirely on aquatic plants and animals. The Canada
goose is easily domesticated, and it is probable that most of the speci-
mens killed in Great Britain have escaped from preserves ; it is found,
however, on the continent of Europe, and stragglers may occasionally
occur.

On the beautiful piece of water at Gosford House, the seat of the Earl
of Wemyss, Haddingtonshire, this and many other water-birds rear their
young freely. I have never seen any artificial piece of water so beauti-
fully adapted for the domestication and introduction of every kind of
waterfowl which will bear the climate of Great Britain. Of very large
extent, it is embossed in beautiful shrubbery, perfectly recluse, and,
even in the nearly constant observance of a resident family, several
exotic species seem to look on it as their own. The Canada and Egyp-
tian geese both had young when I visited it, and the lovely Ana
(Dendronessa) sponsa seemed as healthy as if in her native waters —Eb.

470 CANADA GOOSE.

silent desolation of unknown countries, shut out since creation
from the prying eye of man by everlasting and insuperable
barriers of ice. That such places abound with their suitable
food, we cannot for a moment doubt; while the absence of
their great destroyer, man, and the splendours of a perpetual
day, may render such regions the most suitable for their
purpose.

Having fulfilled the great law of nature, the approaching
rigours of that dreary climate oblige these vast congregated
flocks to steer for the more genial regions of the south. And
no sooner do they arrive at those countries of the earth in-
habited by man, than carnage and slaughter is commenced on
their ranks. The English at Hudson’s Bay, says Pennant,
depend greatly on geese, and in favourable years kill three or
four thousand, and barrel them up for use. They send out
their servants, as well as Indians, to shoot these birds on their
passage. Itis in vain to pursue them ; they therefore form a
row of huts, made of boughs, at musket-shot distance from each
other, and place them in a line across the vast marshes of the
country. Each stand, or hovel, as they are called, is occupied
by only a single person. These attend the flight of the birds,
and, on their approach, mimic their cackle so well, that the
eweese will answer, and wheel, and come nearer the stand.
The sportsman keeps motionless, and on his knees, with his
gun cocked the whole time, and never fires till he has seen the
eyes of the geese. He fires as they are going from him, then
picks up another gun that lies by him, and discharges that.
The geese which he has killed he sets upon sticks, as if alive,
to decoy others ; he also makes artificial birds for the same
purpose. In a good day, for they fly in very uncertain and
unequal numbers, a single Indian will kill two hundred. Not-
withstanding every species of goose has a different call, yet
the Indians are admirable in their imitations of every one.
The autumnal flight lasts from the middle of August to the
middle of October; those which are taken in this season,
when the frosts begin, are preserved in their feathers, and left

CANADA GOOSE. 471

to be frozen for the fresh provisions of the winter stock. The
feathers constitute an article of commerce, and are sent to
England.

The vernal flight of the geese lasts from the middle of April
until the middle of May. Their first appearance coincides
with the thawing of the swamps, when they are very lean.
Their arrival from the south is impatiently attended ; it is the
harbinger of the spring, and the month named by the Indians
the goose-moon, They appear usually at their settlements
about St George’s Day, O.S., and fly northward, to nestle in
security. They prefer islands to the continent, as farther from
the haunts of man.*

After such prodigious havoc as thus appears to be made
among these birds, and their running the gauntlet, if I may
so speak, for many hundreds of miles through such destructive
fires, no wonder they should have become more scarce, as
well as shy, by the time they reach the shores of the United
States.

Their first arrival on the coast of New Jersey is early in
October, and their first numerous appearance is the sure
prognostic of severe weather. ‘Those which continue all winter
frequent the shallow bays and marsh islands ; their principal
food being the broad tender green leaves of a marine plant
which grows on stones and shells, and is usually called sea-
cabbage; and also the roots of the sedge, which they are
frequently observed in the act of tearing up. Every few days
they make an excursion to the inlets on the beach for gravel.
They cross indiscriminately over land or water, generally
taking the nearest course to their object, differing in this
respect from the brant, which will often go a great way round
by water rather than cross over the land. They swim well ;
and, if wing-broken, dive and go a long way under water,
causing the sportsman a great deal of fatigue before he can
Jull them. Except in very calm weather, they rarely sleep
on the water, but roost all night in the marshes. When the

* Arctic Zoology.

472 CANADA GOOSE.

shallow bays are frozen, they seek the mouths of inlets near
the sea, occasionally visiting the air-holes in the ice; but these
bays are seldom so completely frozen as to prevent them from
feeding on the bars.

The flight of the wild geese is heavy and laborious, gener-
ally in a straight line, or in two lines approximating to a point,
thus, ; in both cases the van is led by an old gander, who
every now and then pipes his well-known honk, as if to ask
how they come on, and the honk of “ All’s well” is generally
returned by some of the party. Their course is in a straight
line, with the exception of the undulations of their flight.
When bewildered in foggy weather, they appear sometimes to
be in great distress, flying about in an irregular manner and
for a considerable time over the same quarter, making a great
clamour. On these occasions, should they approach the earth
and alight, which they sometimes do, to rest and recollect them-
selves, the only hospitality they meet with is death and destruc-
tion from a whole neighbourhood already in arms for their
ruin.

Wounded geese have, in numerous instances, been com-
pletely domesticated, and readily pair with the tame grey
geese. The offspring are said to be larger than either; but
the characteristic marks of the wild goose still predominate,
The gunners on the sea-shore have long been in the practice
of taming the wounded of both sexes, and have sometimes
succeeded in getting them to pair and produce. The female
always seeks out the most solitary place for her nest, not far
from the water. On the approach of every spring, however,
these birds discover symptoms of great uneasiness, frequently
looking up into the air, and attempting to go off. Some
whose wings have been closely cut have travelled on foot in
a northern direction, and have been found at the distance of
several miles from home. ‘They hail every flock that passes
overhead, and the salute is sure to be returned by the voyagers,
who are only prevented from alighting among them by the
presence and habitations of man. The gunners take one or

CANADA GOOSE. 473

two of these domesticated geese with them to those parts of
the marshes over which the wild ones are accustomed to fly ;
and concealing themselves within gunshot, wait for a flight,
which is no sooner perceived by the decoy geese, than they
begin calling aloud, until the whole flock approaches so near
as to give them an opportunity of discharging two and some-
times three loaded muskets among it, by which great havoc
is made.

The wild goose, when in good order, weighs from ten to
twelve, and sometimes fourteen pounds. They are sold in the
Philadelphia markets at from seventy-five cents to one dollar
each; and are estimated to yield half a pound of feathers
apiece, which produces twenty-five or thirty cents more.

The Canada goose is now domesticated in numerous quarters
of the country, and is remarked for being extremely watchful,
and more sensible of approaching changes in the atmosphere
than the common grey goose. In England, France, and Ger-
many, they have also been long ago domesticated. Buffon,
in his account of this bird, observes, “ Within these few years
many hundreds inhabited the great canal at Versailles, where
they breed familiarly with the swans; they were oftener on
the grassy margins than in the water ;” and adds, “there is
at present a great number of them on the magnificent pools
that decorate the charming gardens of Chantilly.” Thus has
America already added to the stock of domestic fowls two
species, the turkey and the Canada goose, superior to most in
size, and inferior to none in usefulness ; for it is acknowledged
by an English naturalist of good observation, that this last
species “‘is as familiar, breeds as freely, and is in every respect
as valuable as the common goose.” *

The strong disposition of the wounded wild geese to migrate
to the north in spring has been already taken notice of. In-
stances have occurred where, their wounds having healed, they
have actually succeeded in mounting into the higher regions
of the air, and joined a passing party to the north ; and, extra-

* Bewick, vol. ii. p. 255.

474 CANADA GOOSE.

ordinary as it may appear, I am well assured by the testimony
of several respectable persons, who have been eye-witnesses to
the fact, that they have been also known to return again in the
succeeding autumn to their former habitation. These accounts
are strongly corroborated by a letter which I some time ago
received from an obliging correspondent at New York, which
I shall here give at large, permitting him to tell his story in
his own way, and conclude my history of this species :—

‘Mr Platt, a respectable farmer.on Long Island, being out
shooting in one of the bays which, in that part of the country,
abound with waterfowl, wounded a wild goose. Being wing-
tipped, and unable to fly, he caught it, and brought it home
alive. It proved to be a female; and turning it into his yard
with a flock of tame geese, it soon became quite tame and
familiar, and in a little time its wounded wing entirely healed.
In the following spring, when the wild geese migrate to the
northward, a flock passed over Mr Platt’s barnyard ; and just
at that moment their leader happening to sound his bugle-
note, our goose, in whom its new habits and enjoyments had
not quite extinguished the love of liberty, and remembering
the well-known sound, spread its wings, mounted into the air,
joined the travellers, and soon disappeared. In the succeed-
ing autumn, the wild geese, as was usual, returned from the
northward in great numbers, to pass the winter in our bays
and rivers. Mr Platt happened to be standing in his yard
when a flock passed directly over his barn. At that instant,
he observed three geese detach themselves from the rest, and,
after wheeling round several times, alight in the middle of the
yard. Imagine his surprise and pleasure when, by certain
well-remembered signs, he recognised in one of the three his
long-lost fugitive. It was she indeed! She had travelled
many hundred miles to the lakes; had there hatched and
reared her offspring ; and had now returned with her little
family to share with them the sweets of civilised life.

“The truth of the foregoing relation can be attested by
many respectable people, to whom Mr Platt has related the

LUFTED DUCK. 475

circumstances as above detailed. The birds were all living,
and in his possession, about a year ago, and had shown no dis-
position whatever to leave him.”

The length of this species is three feet ; extent, five feet
two inches ; the bill is black ; irides, dark hazel ; upper half
of the neck, black, marked on the chin and lower part of the
head with a large patch of white, its distinguishing character ;
Jower part of the neck before, white ; back and wing-coverts,
brown, each feather tipt with whitish ; rump and tail, black ;
tail-coverts and vent, white ; primaries, black, reaching to the
extremity of the tail; sides, pale ashy brown; lees and feet,
blackish ash.

The male and female are exactly alike in plumage.

TUFTED DUCK. (Anas fuligula.)
PLATE LXVII.—Fic. 5, Maus.

FULIGULA RUFITORQUES.—BoNAPARTE.

Fuligula rufitorques, Bonap. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil.—Synop. p. 393.—
North. Zool. ii. p. 453.

Tuis is an inhabitant of both continents ; it frequents fresh-
water rivers, and seldom visits the sea-shore. It is a plump,
short-bodied duck ; its flesh generally tender and well tasted.
They are much rarer than most of our other species, and are
seldom seen in market. They are most common about the
beginning of winter and early in the spring. Being birds of
passage, they leave us entirely during the summer.

The tufted duck is seventeen inches long, and two feet two
inches in extent; the bill is broad, and of a dusky colour,
sometimes marked round the nostrils and sides with light blue ;
head, crested, or tufted, as its name expresses, and of a black
colour, with reflections of purple ; neck marked near its middle
by a band of deep chestnut; lower part of the neck, black,
which spreads quite round to the back; back and scapulars,
black, minutely powdered with particles of white, not to be

476 GOLDEN-EVE.

observed but ona near inspection ; rump and vent, also black ;
wings, ashy brown ; secondaries, pale ash or bluish white ;
tertials, black, reflecting green; lower part of the breast and
whole belly, white ; flanks crossed with fine zigzag lines of
dusky ; tail, short, rounded, and of a dull brownish black;
legs and feet, greenish ash ; webs, black ; irides, rich orange ;
stomach filled with gravel and some vegetable food.

In young birds, the head and upper part of the neck are
purplish brown ; in some, the chestnut ring on the fore part
of the middle of the neck is obscure, in others very rich and
elossy, and, in one or two specimens which I have seen, it is
altogether wanting. ‘The back is in some instances destitute
of the fine powdered particles of white, while in others these
markings are large and thickly interspersed.

The specimen from which the drawing was taken was shot
on the Delaware on the 10th of March, and presented to me
by Dr 8. B. Smith of this city. On dissection, it proved to
be a male, and was exceeding fat and tender. Almost every
specimen I have since met with has been in nearly the same
state; so that I cannot avoid thinking this species equal to
most others for the table, and greatly superior to many.

GOLDEN-EYE. (Anas clangula.)
PLATE LXVII.—Fic. 6, MAL.
Le Garrot, Briss. vi. p. 416, pl. 37, fig. 2.—Buff. ix. p. 222.—Arct. Zool. No. 486.—
Lath. Syn. iii. p. 535.
CLANGULA VULGARIS.—F.LEMING.*

Clangula vulgaris, Flem. Br. Anim. p. 120.—WNorth. Zool. ii. p. 454.—Fuligula
clangula, Bonap. Synop. p. 393.—Subgen. Clangula.

Tus duck is well known in Europe, and in various regions
of the United States, both along the sea-coast and about the

* The golden-eye is found on both continents, and in the northern
parts of Europe during winter is one of the most common migratory
ducks. The garrots are distinguished by a short, stout, and compact
body ; the neck short, the head large, and apparently more so from its

GOLDEN-E VE. 477

Jakes and rivers of the interior. It associates in small parties,
and may easily be known by the vigorous whistling of its

thick plumage ; the bill short, but thick and raised at the base; the
feet placed far behind, and formed for swimming. The flicht is short
and rapid. In habit, they delight more in lakes and rivers than the
sea ; are generally found in small flocks ; are very clamorous during the
breeding season, and feed on fish, aquatic insects, molusce, &c. Richard-
son says, “ Clangula vulgaris and alheola frequent the rivers and fresh-
water lakes throughout the Fur Countries in great numbers. They are
by no means shy, allowing the sportsman to approach sufficiently near ;
but dive so dexterously at the flash of a gun or the twang of a bow,
and are consequently so difficult to kill, that the natives say they are
endowed with some supernatural power. Hence their appellation of
“conjuring,” or “ spirit-ducks.”

In Britain, they are winter. visitants, assembling in small parties on
the lakes and rivers. On the latter, they may be generally found near
the head or foot of the stream, diving incessantly for the spawn of
salmon, with which I have often found their stomach filled. The
party generally consists of from four to ten, and they dive together.
At this time, it is not very difficult to approach them, by running for-
ward while they are under water, and squatting when they rise. I
have often, in this way, come to the very edge of the river, and
awaited the arising of the flock. When taken by surprise, they dive
on the instant of the first shot, but rise and fly immediately after.

The young of the first year has been made a nominal species, and is
somewhat like the adult females, but always distinguished by larger
size, darker colour of the plumage of the head, and the greater propor-
tion of white on the wings. The males have the white spot on the
cheek perceptible about the first spring, and the other parts of the
plumage proportionally distinct. Among most of the flocks which visit
our rivers in winter, it is rare to find more than one full plumaged male
in each, sometimes not more than two or three are seen during the
winter among fifty or sixty immature birds.

The American ducks belonging to this group are C: vulgaris, albeola,
and C. Barrovit, or Rocky Mountain garrot, a new species, discovered by
the Overland Arctic Expedition, and described and figured in the ‘“‘ North-
ern Zoology.” The following is the description ; it has only yet been
found in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains.

“ Notwithstanding the general similarity in the form and markings
of this bird and the common golden-eye, the difference in their bills
evidently points them out to be a distinct species. The Rocky Moun-
tain garrot is distinguished by the pure colour of its dorsal plumage, and
the smaller portion of white on its wings and scapulars ; its long flank
feathers are also much more broadly bordered all round with black.

478 GOLDEN-EVE.

wings as it passes through the air. It swims and dives well,
but seldom walks on shore, and then in a waddling, awkward
manner. Feeding chiefly on shellfish, small fry, &., their
flesh is less esteemed than that of the preceding. In the
United States, they are only winter visitors, leaving us again
in the month of April, being then on their passage to the north
to breed. They are said to build, like the wood-duck, in hollow
trees.

The golden-eye is nineteen inches long, and twenty-nine
in extent, and weighs on an average about two pounds; the
bill is black, short, rising considerably up in the forehead ; the
plumage of the head and part of the neck is somewhat tumid,
and of a dark green, with violet reflections, marked near the
corner of the mouth with an oval spot of white ; the irides are
golden yellow; rest of the neck, breast, and whole lower parts,
white, except the flanks, which are dusky ; back and wings,
black ; over the latter a broad bed of white extends from the
middle of the lesser coverts to the extremity of the secondaries ;
the exterior scapulars are also white ; tail, hoary brown ; rump
and tail-coverts, black ; legs and toes, reddish orange ; webs
very large, and of a dark purplish brown ; hind toe and exte-
rior edge of the inner one, broadly finned ; sides of the bill,
obliquely dentated ; tongue, covered above with a fine thick
velvety down, of a whitish colour.

The full plumaged female is seventeen inches in length, and
twenty-seven inches in extent ; bill, brown, orange near the tip ;
head and part of the neck, brown, or very dark drab, bounded
below by a ring of white; below that, the neck is ash, tipt
with white ; rest of the lower parts, white ; wings, dusky, six
of the secondaries and their greater coverts, pure white, except
the tips of the last, which are touched with dusky spots; rest
of the wing-coverts, cinereous mixed with whitish; back and

The bases of the greater coverts in the golden-eye are black ; but they
are concealed, and do not form the black band so conspicuous in this
species.” The total length of a male brought home by the Expedition
was twenty-two inches in length.—Eb,

GOLDEN-EVE. 479

scapulars, dusky, tipt with brown ; feet, dull orange ; across
the vent, a band of cinereous ; tongue, covered with the same
velvety down as the male.

The young birds of the first season very much resemble the
females, but may generally be distinguished by the white spot,
or at least its rudiments, which mark the corner of the mouth ;
yet, in some cases, even this is variable, both old and young
male birds occasionally wanting the spot.

From an examination of many individuals of this species of
both sexes, I have very little doubt that the morillon of Eng-
lish writers (Anas glaucion) is nothing more than the young
male of the golden-eye.

The conformation of the trachea or windpipe of the male
of this species is singular. Nearly about its middle it swells
out to at least five times its common diameter, the concentric
hoops or rings of which this part is formed falling obliquely
into one another when the windpipe is relaxed; but when
stretched, this part swells out to its full size, the rings being
then drawn apart; this expansion extends for about three
inches ; three more below this, it again forms itself into a hard
cartilaginous shell of an irregular figure, and nearly as large
asa walnut ; from the bottom of this labyrinth, as it has been
called, the trachea branches off to the two lobes of the lungs ;
that branch which goes to the left lobe being three times the dia-
meter of the right. ‘The female has nothing of all this. The
intestines measure five feet in length, and are large and thick.

J have examined many individuals of this species, of both
sexes and in various stages of colour, and can therefore affirm
with certainty that the foregoing descriptions are correct.
Europeans have differed greatly in their accounts of this bird,
from finding males in the same garbas the females, and other
full plumaged males destitute of the spot of white on the cheek;
but all these individuals bear such evident marks of belong-
ing to one peculiar species, that no judicious naturalist, with
all these varieties before him, can long hesitate to pronounce
them the same.

480 SHOVELLER.

SHOVELLER. (Anas clypeata.)
PLATE LXVII.—Fic. 7, Matz.

Le Souchet, Briss. vi. p. 329, 6, pl. 32, fig. 1.—Buff. ix. 191, PI. enl. 971.—
Arct. Zool. No. 485.—Catesby, i. pl. 96, female.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 509.—
Peales Museum, No. 2734.

ANAS CLYPEATA.—LINNEUvS.*

Anas platyrhynchas, Raii Synop. p. 144.—Rynchaspis clypeata, Leach.—Shaw’s
Zool. Steph. Cont. xii. 115, pl. 48.—Spathulea clypeata, Flem. Brit. Anim.
i. 123.—Anas clypeata, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. p. 856.—Shoveller, Mont.
Ornith. Dict. and Sup.—Bew. ii. 345.—Selby, m. and f. Illust. pl. 48.—
Canard Souchet, Tem. Man. ii. p. 842.—Anas clypeata, Bonap. Synop. p. 382.
—WNorth. Zool. ii. p. 439.

Ir we except the singularly formed and disproportionate size of
the bill, there are few ducks more beautiful or more elegantly

* Mr Swainson, according to his views that the typical group should
hold the typical name of the family, has restricted Anas (in that sense)
tothe shovellers. In fixing upon the typical representation of any large
family, that gentleman goes upon the principle of taking the organ most
peculiarly important to the whole, and selects that subordinate, or rather
primary group, wherein that organ is most fully developed. Thus, in
the ducks, he remarks there is nothing peculiar in diving, or living both
on land and water, or endowments for rapid flight, for many others
possess like powers ; but when we examine the dilated and softly
textured bill, and more particularly the fine laminz on the edges, we
are struck with a formation at variance with our accustomed ideas of
that member, and at once think that it must be applied to something
equally peculiar in their economy. We shall thus be warranted in
taking the bill as our criterion, and those birds where we find its
structure most fully developed for the type. These are most decidedly
to be seen in the shovellers, a group. containing, as yet, only three or
four known species ; in them we have the utmost dilatation of the bill
towards its apex, and the laminz upon its edges, and long and remark-
ably delicate, The bird itself possesses a powerful flight, and is a most
expert diver and swimmer, but seems to prefer inland lakes or fens to the
more open seas and rivers.

Tothis group will belong the curious pink-eared shoveller from New
Holland, remarkable from the toothlike membrane projecting from
the angles of the bill, and differing somewhat from the others in its
brown and dusky plumage. Mr Swainson has formed on account of

SHOVELLER, 481

marked than this. The excellence of its flesh, which is uniformly
juicy, tender, and well tasted, is another recommendation to
which it is equally entitled. It occasionally visits the sea-
coast, but is more commonly found on our lakes and rivers,
particularly along their muddy shores, where it spends great
part of its time in searching for small worms and the larvee
of insects, sifting the watery mud through the long and finely-
set teeth of its curious bill, which is admirably constructed
for the purpose, being large, to receive a considerable quantity
of matter, each mandible bordered with close-set, pectinated
rows, exactly resembling those of a weaver’s reed, which, fit-
ting into each other, form a kind of sieve, capable of retaining
very minute worms, seeds, or insects, which constitute the
principal food of the bird.

The shoveller visits us only.in the winter, and is not known
to breed in any part of the United States. It is a common
bird of Europe, and, according to M. Baillon, the correspon-
dent of Buffon, breeds yearly in the marshes in France. The
female is said to make her nest on the ground with withered
erass, in the midst of the largest tufts of rushes or coarse
herbage, in the most inaccessible part of the slaky marsh, and
lays ten or twelve pale rust-coloured eggs ; the young, as soon
as hatched, are conducted to the water by the parent birds.
They are said to be at first very shapeless and ugly, for the
bill is then as broad as the body, and seems too great a weight
for the little bird to carry. Their plumage does not acquire
its full colours until after the second moult.

The blue-winged shoveller is twenty inches long, and two
feet six inches in extent; the bill is brownish black, three
inches in length, greatly widened near the extremity, closely
pectinated on the sides, and furnished with a nail on the tip

this membrane a subgenus, malacorhynchus, but in which I am hardly
yet prepared to coincide.

It may be mentioned here, that the only birds which possess the
lamellated structure of the upper mandible is pachyptila, a genus coming
near to the petrels, and phenicopterus of Flamingo,—Ep.

VOL. II. 24

482 SHOVELLER.

of each mandible; irides, bright orange; tongue, large and
fleshy ; the inside of the upper and outside of the lower man-
dible are grooved, so as to receive distinctly the long, separated
reedlike teeth ; there is also a gibbosity in the two mandibles,
which do not meet at the sides, and this vacuity is occupied
by the sifters just mentioned ; head and upper half of the
neck, glossy changeable green ; rest of the neck and breast,
white, passing round and nearly meeting above; whole belly,
dark reddish chestnut; flanks, a brownish yellow, pencilled
transversely with black, between which and the vent, which
is black, is a band of white; back, blackish brown ; exterior
edges of the scapulars, white ; lesser wing-coverts and some
of the tertials, a fine light sky-blue ; beauty spot on the wing,
a changeable resplendent bronze green, bordered above by a
band of white, and below with another of velvety black; rest
of the wing, dusky, some of the tertials streaked down their
middles with white; tail, dusky, pointed, broadly edged with
white ; legs and feet, reddish orange, hind toe not finned.

With the above another was shot, which differed in having
the breast spotted with dusky and the back with white ; the
green plumage of the head intermixed with gray, and the
belly with circular touches of white, evidently a young male
in its imperfect plumage.

The female has the crown of a dusky brown ; rest of the
head and neck, yellowish white, thickly spotted with dark
brown; these spots on the breast become larger, and crescent-
shaped ; back and scapulars, dark brown, edged and centred
with yellow ochre; belly, slightly rufous, mixed with white ;
wing, nearly as in the male.

On dissection, the labyrinth in the windpipe of the male
was found to be small; the trachea itself seven inches long ;
the intestines nine feet nine inches in length, and about the
thickness of a crow-quill.

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GOOSANDER, 483

GOOSANDER. (Mergus merganser.)
PLATE LXVIII.—Fic. 1, MALez.

L’Harle, Briss. vi. p. 231, 1, pl. 23.—Buff. viii. p. 267, pl. 23.—Arct. Zool. 465.—
Lath. Syn. iii. p. 418.—Peale’s Museum, No. 2932.

MERGUS MERGANSER.—LINNEUS.*

Goosander, or Merganser, Mont. Ornith. Dict. and Supp.—Bew. Br. Birds, ii. p.
254.—Selby’s Iilust. pl. 57.—Mergus merganser, Bonap. Synop. p. 397.—
Flem. Br. Anim. p. 128.—Grande Harle, Zemm. Man. d’Ornith. ii. 881.

Tuts large and handsomely-marked bird belongs to a genus
different from that of the duck, on account of the particular

* The genus Mergus has been universally allowed. It contains nine or
ten species, allied in their general form, but easily distinguished by their
plumage. They are truly aquatic, and never quit the sea or lakes ex-
cept for a partial repose or pluming, or during the time of incubation.
Their food is entirely fish, and they are necessarily expert divers ; the
bill is lengthened and narrow, its edges regularly serrated with recurved
points. The breeding places of many of them are yet unknown, but I
believe that the greater proportion at that season retire inland to the
more sequestered lakes. I am also of opinion that the male forsakes his
mate so soon as she begins to sit, about which time he also loses the
beautiful crest and plumage in which he is clothed during winter and
spring, and assumes a duller garb. The males are remarkable for their
difference from the other sex, whence the long-disputed point, now
satisfactorily proved, of this and the following bird being different.
That of the male is generally black or glossy green, contrasted with the
purest white or rich shades of tawny yellow ; that of the female, the
chaster grays and browns. Both are furnished with crests, composed
of loose hackled feathers, ;

The distribution of the group seems to be European and both con-
tinents of America. I have seen none from India or New Holland,
though from the former country they might be expected.

The goosander is a native of both continents, and is said to breed
in the northern part of Scotland. This I have had no opportunity of
verifying, ltis frequent during winter on the larger rivers, in flocks
of seven or eight, in which there is generally only one, or at most two,
adult males—the others being in immature dress, or females ; thus the
latter is said to be the most common, They fish about the bottoms of
the streams and pools, and, I believe, destroy many fish. I bave taken

484 GOOSANDER.

form and serratures of its bill. The genus is characterised as
follows :—“ Bill, toothed, slender, cylindrical, hooked at the
point; nostrils, small, oval, placed in the middle of the bill ;
feet, four-toed, the outer toe longest.” Naturalists have de-
nominated it merganser. In this country, the birds composing
this genus are generally known by the name of fisherman, or
fisher-ducks. The whole number of known species amount
to only nine or ten, dispersed through various quarters of
the world ; of these, four species, of which the present is the
largest, are known to inhabit the United States.

From the common habit of these birds in feeding almost
entirely on fin and shell-fish, their flesh is held in little esti-
mation, being often lean and rancid, both smelling and tast-
ing strongly of fish ; but such are the various peculiarities of
tastes, that persons are not wanting who pretend to consider
them capital meat.

The goosander, called by some the water-pheasant, and by
others the sheldrake, fisherman, diver, &c., is a winter inhabi-
tant only of the sea-shores, fresh-water lakes, and rivers of
the United States. ‘They usually associate in small parties
of six or eight, and are almost continually diving in search
of food. In the month of April they disappear, and return
again early in November. Of their particular place and
manner of breeding we have no account. Mr Pennant ob-
serves, that they continue the whole year in the Orkneys;
and have been shot in the Hebrides, or Western Islands of
Scotland, in summer. They are also found in Iceland and
Greenland, and are said to breed there; some asserting that
they build on trees; others, that they make their nests among
the rocks.

The male of this species is twenty-six inches in length, and
three feet three inches in extent ; the bill, three inches long,

seven trout, about four or five inches in length, from the stomach of a
female,

In Hudson’s Bay (according to Hearne) they are called sheldrakes ;
the name by which they are also distinguished by the common people
in all the rivers in the south of Scotland.—Eb.

GOOSANDER. 485

and nearly one inch thick at the base, serrated on both mandi-
bles, the upper overhanging at the tip, where each is furnished
with a large nail; the ridge of the bill is black ; the sides,
crimson red; irides, red; head, crested, tumid, and of a black
colour, glossed with green, which extends nearly half way
down the neck, the rest of which, with the breast and belly,
are white, tinged with a delicate yellowish cream; back, and
adjoining scapulars, black; primaries, and shoulder of the
wing, brownish black ; exterior part of the scapulars, lesser
coverts, and tertials, white; secondaries, neatly edged with
black ; greater coverts, white ; their upper halves, black, form-
ing a bar on the wing; rest of the upper parts and tail,
brownish ash ; legs and feet, the colour of red sealing-wax ;
flanks, marked with fine semicircular dotted lines of deep
brown ; the tail extends about three inches beyond the wings.

This description was taken from a full-plumaged male.
The young males, which are generally much more numerous
than the old ones, so exactly resemble the females in their
plumage for at least the first and part of the second year, as
scarcely to be distinguished from them ; and, what is somewhat
singular, the crests of these and of the females are actually
longer than those of the full-grown male, though thinner
towards its extremities. These circumstances have induced
some late ornithologists to consider them as two different
species, the young or female having been called the dun ~
diver. By this arrangement they have entirely deprived the
goosander of his female ; for, in the whole of my examinations
and dissections of the present species, I have never yet found
the female in his dress. What I consider as undoubtedly
the true female of this species is figured beside him. They
were both shot in the month of April, in the same creek,
unaccompanied by any other ; and, on examination, the sexual
parts of each were strongly and prominently marked. The
windpipe of the female had nothing remarkable in it; that
of the male had two very large expansions, which have been
briefly described by Willoughby, who says, “It hath a large

486 GOOSANDER.

bony labyrinth on the windpipe, just above the divarications ;
and the windpipe hath, besides, two swellings out, one above
another, each resembling a powder puff.” These labyrinths
are the distinguishing characters of the males ; and are always
found, even in young males who have not yet thrown off the
plumage of the female, as well as in the old ones. If we
admit these dun divers to be a distinct species, we can find
no difference between their pretended females and those of
the goosander, only one kind of female of this sort being
known ; and this is contrary to the usual analogy of the other
three species, viz., the red-breasted merganser, the hooded, and
the smew, all of whose females are well known, and bear the
same comparative resemblance in colour to their respective
males, the length of crest excepted, as the female goosander
here figured bears to him.

Having thought thus much necessary on this disputed point,
I leave each to form his own opinion on the facts and reason-
ing produced.

[* The goosander is a broad, long-bodied, and flat-backed
bird. It is a great diver, and remains under water for a con-
siderable time. It is very shy, and hard to be obtained, unless
there is ice in the river, at which time it may be approached
by stratagem, the shooter and his boat being clothed in white,
so as to resemble floating ice. It appears to live chiefly upon
fish, which its sharp-toothed and hooked bill is admirably cal-
culated for securing. It rises from the water with considerable
fluttering, its wings being small and short ; but when in the
air, it flies with great swiftness. It is a singular circumstance
that those goosanders which are seen in the Delaware and
Schuylkill, in the vicinity of Philadelphia, are principally old
males.

The male goosander is twenty-six inches in length, and
thirty-seven inches in breadth ; the bill, to the angles of the
mouth, is three inches long, nearly an inch thick at the base,

* From this to the end of the article, marked off with brackets, is an
addition to Wilson’s description by Mr Ord.—Ep.

GOOSANDER. 487

strongly toothed on both mandibles, the upper mandible with
two corresponding rows of fine teeth within, the lower divided
to the nail, and connected by a thin elastic membrane, which
admits of considerable expansion, to facilitate the passage of
fish ; nostrils, sub-ovate, broader on the hind part ; the bill is
black above and below, its sides crimson ; the tongue is long,
pointed, furnished with a double row of papillee running along
the middle, and has a hairy border ; irides, golden ; the front-
let, lores, area of the eyes, and throat, jet black ; head, crested,
tumid, and of a beautiful glossy bottle-green colour, extending
nearly half-way down the neck, the remainder of which, with
the exterior part of the scapulars, the lesser coverts, the greater
part of the secondaries, the tertials and lining of the wings,
white, delicately tinged with cream colour; the breast and
whole lower parts are of a rich cream colour; the upper part
of the back and the interior scapulars, a fine glossy black ;
the primaries and exterior part of the secondaries, with their
coverts, are brownish black; the lower part of nearly all the
coverts of the secondaries, white, the upper part, black, form-
ing a bar across the wing ; the shoulder of the wing is brownish
ash, the feathers tipt with black; the middle and lower parts
of the back and tail-coverts, ash, the plumage centred with
brown ; tail, brownish ash, rounded, composed of eighteen
feathers, and extends about three inches beyond the wings ;
the flanks are marked with waving, finely-dotted lines of ash
on a white ground; tertials on the outer vanes, edged with
black; the legs and feet are of a rich orange; toes, long,
middle one somewhat the longest; claws, flesh-coloured. The
whole plumage is of a siiky softness, particularly that of the
head and neck, which feels like the most delicate velvet.

Naturalists represent the feet and legs of this species as of
the colour of red sealing-wax. ‘This is an error which arose
from the circumstance of their having seen their specimens
some time after they had been killed. When the bird is alive,
these parts are of a beautiful orange, which changes after
death to the colour they mention.

488 FEMALE GOOSANDER.

The above description was taken from a fine full-plumaged
male, which was shot in the vicinity of Philadelphia in the
month of January. It was in good condition, and weighed
three pounds thirteen ounces avoirdupois. |

FEMALE GOOSANDER.
PLATE LXVIII.—Fie. 2.

Peale’s Museum, No. 2933.—Dun Diver, Lath. Syn. iii. p. 240.—Arct. Zool. No.
465.—Bewick’s Brit. Birds, u. p. 25.—Turt. Syst. p. 335.—L’ Harle Femelle,
Briss. vi. p. 236, Buff. viii. p. 272, Pl. ent. 953.

MERGUS MERGANSER.—LINNEUS.

Syn. of Fem. or Young.—Mergus castor, Linn. Syst. i. 209.—Merganser cinereus,
Briss. Orn. vi. 254.—Dun Diver, or Sparling Fowl, Mont. Bew. &e.—Goos-
ander Female, Selby’s Illust. pl. lvii.

Tus generally measures an inch or two shorter than the
male; the length of the present specimen was twenty-five
inches; extent, thirty-five inches ; bill, crimson on the sides,
black above; irides, reddish; crested head and part of the
neck, dark brown, lightest on the sides of the neck, where it
inclines to a sorrel colour ; chin and throat, white; the crest
shoots out in long radiating flexible stripes; upper part of
the body, tail, and flanks, an ashy slate, tinged with brown ;
primaries, black; middle secondaries, white, forming a~large
speculum on the wing; greater coverts, black, tipt for half an
inch with white ; sides of the breast, from the sorrel-coloured
part of the neck downwards, very pale ash, with broad semi-
circular touches of white ; belly and lower part of the breast
a fine yellowish cream colour—a distinguishing trait also in
the male ; legs and feet, orange red.

[It is truly astonishing with what pertinacity Montagu ad-
heres to the opinion that the dun diver is a species distinct
from the goosander. Had this excellent ornithologist had the
same opportunities for examining these birds that we have, he

PINTAIL DUCK. 489

would never have published an opinion which, in this quarter
of the globe, would subject one, even from the vulgar, to the
imputation of ignorance.” |

PINTAIL DUCK. (Anas acuta.)
PLATE LXVIIL—Fie. 3.

Le Canard 4 Jongue queue, Briss. vi. p. 369, 16, pl. 34, fig. 1, 2.—Buff. ix. p.
199, pl. 13; Pl. enl. 954.—Arct. Zool. No. 500.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 526.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 2806.

DAFILA ACUTA.—LEACH.t

Dafila caudacuta, Shaw’s Zool. Steph. Cont. xii. p. 127.—Canard a longue
queue au pillet, Zemm. Man. @Ornith. ii. 838.—Pintail, Mont. Bew.—
Selby’s Illust. pl. 42, m.— Anas acuta, Cracker.— lem. Br. Anim. p. 124.—
Bonap. Synop. p. 383.—Anas (Dafila) caudacuta, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 441.

THE pintail, or, as it is sometimes called, the sprigtail, is a
common and well-known duck in our markets, much esteemed
for the excellence of its flesh, and is generally in good order.
It is a shy and cautious bird, feeds in the mud flats and shal-
low fresh-water marshes, but rarely resides on the sea-coast.
It seldom dives, is very noisy, and has a kind of chattering
note. When wounded, they will sometimes dive, and coming
up, conceal themselves under the bow of the boat, moving
round as it moves. Are vigilant in giving the alarm on the
approach of the gunner, who often curses the watchfulness of

* The concluding paragraph, marked off with brackets, is an addition
by Mr Ord.

+ In this beautiful species we have the type of the subgenus Dajila.
In it the marginal laminee begin to disappear, and the bill to assume
what may be called a more regular outline, approaching to that of A,
boschas, our wild and domestic breed. Another peculiarity is the de-
velopment of the tail, which becomes much lengthened, whence the
name of sea-pheasant. In this country they are not very common, which
may arise from their being more difficult to procure, by their frequent-
ing the sea rather than any inland water ; they are frequently taken,
however, in decoys, and I once shot two feeding in the evening on a wet
stubble field in company with the common wild duck.—Eb.

490 PINTAIL DUCK.

the sprigtail. Some ducks, when aroused, disperse in dif-
ferent directions; but the sprigtails, when alarmed, cluster
confusedly together as they mount, and thereby afford the
sportsman a fair opportunity of raking them with advantage.
They generally leave the Delaware about the middle of March,
on the way to their native regions, the north, where they are
most numerous. They inhabit the whole northern parts of
Europe and Asia, and doubtless the corresponding latitudes
of America; are said likewise to be found in Italy. Great
flocks of them are sometimes spread along the isles and shores
of Scotland and Ireland, and on the interior lakes of both
these countries. On the marshy shores of some of the bays
of Lake Ontario, they are often plenty in the months of October
and November. I have also met with them at Louisville, on
the Ohio.

The pintail duck is twenty-six inches in length, and two
feet ten inches in extent; the bill is a dusky lead colour;
irides, dark hazel; head and half of the neck, pale brown, each
side of the neck marked with a band of purple violet, border-
ing the white; hind part of the upper half of the neck, black,
bordered on each side by a stripe of white, which spreads over
the lower part of the neck before ; sides of the breast and upper
part of the back, white, thickly and elegantly marked with
transverse undulating lines of black, here and there tinged with
pale buff; throat and middle of the belly, white, tinged with
cream ; flanks, finely pencilled with waving lines; vent, white ;
under tail-coverts, black; lesser wing-coverts, brown ash;
greater, the same, tipt with orange; below which is the
speculum, or beauty spot, of rich golden green, bordered
below with a band of black and another of white ; primaries,
dusky brown; tertials, long, black, edged with white, and
tinged with rust; rump and tail-coverts, pale ash, centred
with dark brown ; tail greatly pointed, the two middle taper-
ing feathers being full five inches longer than the others, and
black, the rest brown ash, edged with white; legs, a pale lead
colour.

BLUE-WINGED TEAL. 491

The female has the crown of a dark brown colour ; neck,
of a dull brownish white, thickly speckled with dark brown ;
breast and belly, pale brownish white, interspersed with white ;
back, and root of the neck above, black, each feather elegantly
waved with broad lines of brownish white, these wavings be-
come rufous on the scapulars’; vent, white, spotted with dark
brown ; tail, dark brown, spotted with white; the two middle
tail-feathers half an inch longer than the others.

The sprigtail is an elegantly formed, long-bodied duck, the
neck longer and more slender than most others.

BLUE-WINGED TEAL. (Anas discors.)
PLATE LXVIII.—Fie. 4.

Le Sarcelle d’Amerique, Briss. vi. p. 452, 35.—Buff. ix. p. 279, Pl. enl. 966.—
Catesby, i. pl. 100.—White-faced Duck, Lath. Syn. iii. p. 502.—Arct. Zool.
No. 503.—Peale’s Museum, No. 2846.

BOSCHAS ? DISCORS.—SWAINSON.

Anas discors, Cuv. Regn. Anim.i. p. 539.—Bonap. Synop. p. 385.—Anas (Boschas)
discors. Swain. Journ. Royal Instit., No. iv. p. 22.—Worth. Zool. ii. p. 444.

Tue blue-winged teal is the first of its tribe that returns to
us in the autumn from its breeding place in the north. They
are usually seen early in September, along the shores of the
Delaware, where they sit on the mud close to the edge of the
water, so crowded together that the gunners often kill great
numbers at a single discharge. When a flock is discovered
thus sitting and sunning themselves, the experienced gunner
runs his batteau ashore at some distance below or above them,
and getting out, pushes her before him over the slippery mud,
concealing himself all the while behind her; by this method
he can sometimes approach within twenty yards of the flock,
among which he generally makes great slaughter. They fly
rapidly, and, when they aiight, drop down suddenly, like the
snipe or woodcock, among the reeds or on the mud. They
feed chiefly on vegetable food, and are eagerly fond of the
seeds of the reeds or wild oats. Their flesh is excellent, and

492 BLUE-WINGED TEAL.

after their residence for a short time among the reeds, become
very fat. As the first frosts come on, they proceed to the
south, being a delicate bird, very susceptible of cold. They
abound in the inundated rice-fields in the southern States,
where vast numbers are taken in traps placed on small dry
eminences that here and there rise above the water. These
places are strewed with rice, and by the common contrivance
called a figure four, they are caught alive in hollowtraps. In
the month of April they pass through Pennsylvania for the
north, but make little stay at that season. I have observed
them numerous on the Hudson opposite to the Katskill moun-
tains. They rarely visit the sea-shore.

This species measures about fourteen inches in length, and
twenty-two inches in extent ; the bill is long in proportion,
and of a dark dusky slate; the front and upper part of the
head are black; from the eye to the chin is a large crescent of
white; the rest of the head and half of the neck are of a dark
slate, richly glossed with green and violet; remainder of the
neck and breast is black or dusky, thickly marked with semi-
circles of brownish white, elegantly intersected with each
other; belly, pale brown, barred with dusky in narrow lines ;
sides and vent, the same tint, spotted with oval marks of dusky ;
flanks elegantly waved with large semicircles of pale brown;
sides of the vent pure white; under tail-coverts, black ; back,
deep brownish black, each feather waved with large semi-ovals
of brownish white ; lesser wing-coverts, a bright light blue ;
primaries, dusky brown ; secondaries, black; speculum, or
beauty spot, rich green; tertials, edged with black or light
blue, and streaked down their middle with white; the tail,
which is pointed, extends two inches beyond the wings; legs
and feet, yellow, the latter very small; the two crescents of
white, before the eyes, meet on the throat.

The female differs in having the head and neck of a dull
dusky slate, instead of the rich violet of the male, the hind
head is also whitish. The wavings on the back and lower
parts more indistinct ; wing nearly the same in both.

SVOW GOOSE, 493

SNOW GOOSE. (Anas hyperborea.)
PLATE LXVIIL.—Fic. 5, Maz.

L’Oye de Neige, Briss. vi. p. 288, 10.—White Brant, Lawson’s Carolina, p. 157.
—Arect. Zool. No. 477.—Phil. Trans. 62, p. 413.—Lath. Syn. iii. p. 445.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 2635.

ANSER HYPERBOREUS.—BoNAPARTE.
Anser hyperboreus, Bonap. Synop. p. 876.—North. Zool. ii. p. 467.

Tus bird is particularly deserving of the further investication
of naturalists ; for, if I do not greatly mistake, English writers
have, from the various appearances which this species assumes
in its progress to perfect plumage, formed no less than four
different kinds, which they describe as so many distinct species,
viz., the snow goose, the white-fronted or laughing goose, the
bean goose, and the blwe-winged goose, all of which, I have
little doubt, will hereafter be found to be nothing more than
perfect and imperfect individuals, male and female, of the
snow goose, now before us.*

This species, called on the sea-coast the red goose, arrives
in the river Delaware from the north early in November,
sometimes in considerable flocks, and is extremely noisy, their
notes being shriller and more squeaking than those of the
Canada or common wild goose. On their first arrival they
make but a short stay, proceeding, as the depth of winter
approaches, farther to the south ; but from the middle of
February until the breaking up of the ice in March, they are
frequently numerous along both shores of the Delaware about
and below Reedy Island, particularly near Old Duck Creek,

* Mr Ord, in his reprint, adds the following note :—“ This conjecture
of our author is partly erroneous. The snow goose and the blue-winged
goose are synonymous; but the other two named are distinct species,
the characters of which are well defined by late ornithologists.”

The blue-winged goose is our present bird in immature plumage,
which they are said to retain for three years. The two other birds have

since been added to the American Fauna. The young bird is described
page 12 of the third volume.—ED.

494 SNOW GOOSE.

in the State of Delaware. They feed on the roots of the
reeds there, tearing them up from the marshes like hogs.
Their flesh, like most others of their tribe that feed on vege-
tables, is excellent.

The snow goose is two feet eight inches in length, and five
feet in extent; the bill is three inches in length, remarkably
thick at the base, and rising high in the forehead, but becomes
small and compressed at the extremity, where each mandible
is furnished with a whitish rounding nail; the colour of the
bill is a purplish carmine; the edges of the two mandibles
separate from each other in a singular manner for their whole
length, and this gibbosity is occupied by dentated rows, resem-
bling teeth, these and the parts adjoining being of a blackish
colour ; the whole plumage is of a snowy whiteness, with the
exception, first, of the fore part of the head all round as far as
the eyes, which is of a yellowish rust colour, intermixed with
white ; and, second, the nine exterior quill-feathers, which
are black, shafted with white, and white at the root ; the coverts
of these last, and also the bastard wing, are sometimes of a
pale ash colour; the legs and feet of the same purplish car-
mine as the bill; iris, dark hazel; the tail is rounded, and
consists of sixteen feathers; that, and the wings, when shut,
nearly of a length.

The bill of this bird is singularly curious ; the edges of the
upper and lower gibbosities have each twenty-three inden-
tations, or strong teeth, on each side ; the inside or concavity
of the upper mandible has also seven lateral rows of strong
projecting teeth ; and the tongue, which is horny at the ex-
tremity, is armed on each side with thirteen long and sharp
bony teeth, placed like those of a saw, with their points
directed backwards; the tongue turned up, and viewed on its
lower side, looks very much like a human finger with its nail.
This conformation of the mandibles, exposing two rows of
strong teeth, has probably given rise to the epithet laughing,
bestowed on one of its varieties, though it might with as much
propriety have been named the grinning goose.

SNOW GOOSE, 495

The specimen from which the above figure and description
was taken, was shot on the Delaware, below Philadelphia, on
the 15th of February, and on dissection proved to be a male;
the windpipe had no labyrinth, but, for an inch or two before
its divarication into the lungs, was inflexible, not extensile,
like the rest, and rather wider in diameter. The gullet had
an expansion before entering the stomach, which last was re-
markably strong, the two great grinding muscles being nearly
five inches in diameter. The stomach was filled with frag-
ments of the roots of reeds, and fine sand. The intestines
measured eight feet in length, and were not remarkably thick.
The liver was small. For the young and female of this species,
see plate Ixix., fig. 5.

Latham observes that this species is very numerous at Hud-
son’s Bay, that they visit Severn river in May, and stay a
fortnight, but go farther north to breed ; they return to Severn
Fort the beginning of September, and stay till the middle of
October, when they depart for the south, and are observed to
be attended by their young in flocks innumerable. They seem
to occupy also the western side of America, as they were seen
at Aoonalashka,* as well as Kamtschatka.+ White brant,
with black tips to their wings, were also shot by Captains
Lewis and Clark’s exploring party near the mouth of the
Columbia river, which were probably the same as the present
species. {| Mr Pennant says, “ They are taken by the Siberians
in nets, under which they are decoyed by a person covered with
a white skin, and crawling. on all-fours ; when, others driving
them, these stupid birds mistaking him for their leader, follow
him, when they are entangled in the nets, or led into a kind
of pond made for the purpose!” We might here with pro-
priety add—this wants confirmation.

* Hllis’s Narrative. + History of Kamtschatka.
~ Gass’s Journal, p. 161,

END OF VOL. II.

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